Antibody testing underway in Bannock County
CHUBBUCK, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Antibody testing is officially underway in Bannock County. CrushTheCurveIdaho.com is partnering up with Idaho Central Credit Union and Portneuf Medical Group to provide testing.
Employees of the credit union and their families were able to get tested Wednesday. It will be open to the public starting Thursday. Operations will be open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4400 Central Way in Chubbuck.
The tests detect the body’s immune response to the infection caused by the virus rather than the virus itself. It will also provide local health experts with essential population data to better understand how prevalent the virus is within the community.
“We’ll be able to know if it [antibodies] give us immunity or not. If we don’t have it, we’re still at risk and we could have a big spike,” chief medical officer for Portneuf Medical Center, Dr. Daniel Snell said.
The FDA categorized the tests under “emergency use,” meaning they are safe but have not undergone agency review. They are not 100% accurate and pose a risk for false positives or negative results.
