Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Thursday said a “large number” of antibody tests that could determine whether someone is immune to the coronavirus could be coming in a matter of days or weeks.
“There are several out there — some are validated to show that they’re consistent and others are in the process of being validated,” Dr. Fauci said on NBC’s “Today” show.
“We are told by the people, the companies that make them that very soon — when they say soon, they’re talking days to weeks — that we’d be able to have a large number of these tests available,” he said.
Dr. Fauci said it’s “likely, though we need to prove it” that once someone has an antibody profile, they’re “very likely” protected from subsequent infections.
“Which means you may have a cohort of people who are actually protected who have more of [a] chance [at] getting back” into normal society, he said. “It’s very important to know that regarding health care workers because they are the most vulnerable, and if they’re protected, they can do their job much better.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.