According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site, “SARS-CoV-2 can cause asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic, and minimally symptomatic infections, leading to viral shedding that may result in transmission to others who are particularly vulnerable to severe disease and death."
This means that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can walk among us with little to no signs of life until it threatens one of ours. This puts everyone in a tough situation as our economy reopens, because it’s impossible to know who is and isn’t infected at any given time. Thus, the CDC recommendation for combination testing.
Why the CDC Recommends Combination Testing for COVID-19
Months ago, when testing began, everyone was focused on discovering who was acutely infected with SARS-CoV-2 in order to quarantine them from the rest of the presumably uninfected population. Now, with multiple states reopening in various phases, health care experts are administering antibody testing to seemingly healthy individuals in order to ascertain if they were previously infected. In this way, testing for antibodies is a means by which health care workers can track exposure and, potentially, provide antibody verification documents while a viable vaccination is still quite a ways off.
Therefore, the CDC has identified combination testing’s crucial role in a back to work strategy, which is why Because Health offers it through our Workplace Health testing services.
Why We Include Combination Testing In Our Workplace Health Services
Our Workplace Health services have quickly become a convenient and safe way to provide individuals and businesses with workplace testing, medical guidance, and on-going support. Here’s a brief rundown of these critical tests as well as their usage and efficacy:
1. Nasal swab testing is necessary to identify asymptomatic carriers. By combining nasal swab testing for detection of asymptomatic carriers with dual mode IgM and IgG serologic antibody testing, we close the gap that could occur between detecting the virus and uncovering evidence of previous exposure. Cautionary statements have been made that antibody testing should not be used to make decisions about returning people to work, schools, dorms or other places. We agree that antibody testing cannot be used alone to exclude viral infections without simultaneous nasal swab screening.
As the CDC states: “Serologic testing can be offered as a method to support diagnosis of acute COVID-19 illness for persons who present late.* For persons who present 9-14 days after illness onset, serologic testing can be offered in addition to recommended direct detection methods such as polymerase chain reaction. This will maximize sensitivity as the sensitivity of nucleic acid detection is decreasing and serologic testing is increasing during this time period.”
2. The antibody responses to fight coronavirus includes both IgM and IgG antibodies, targeting specific antigens on the virus and at different times. We employ testing for both. IgM is the first line of defense, developing by the end of the first week from the start of infection and subsiding by the third week. IgG, on the other hand, begins to be detectable by the end of the second week, peaking around 5-6 weeks and gradually decreasing thereafter. IgG may linger for months or even beyond a year, if the COVID-19 follows the pattern of other viruses. We have heard the warnings that antibody test results can have high false positive rates, examples have been cheap cartridge antibody tests, so we have chosen the best testing processes available.
Our Workplace Health program utilizes automated, quantitative rapid screening for IgM and IgG antibodies with 100% Sensitivity and 99.8% specificity. Positive tests are then analyzed for quantitative results, giving the physicians maximum understanding of the status of the antibody response. All tests are performed by our partner Lab, a CLIA high-complexity specialty lab using equipment that has been given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
3. The CDC states that protection against severe infection may actually be what we need, even if the duration of immunity against reinfection isn’t yet known. Blood testing for proof of prior infection can guide clinical decisions about whether specific individuals are already immune to the infection — provided it’s shown that specific quantitative immune response infers immunity.
4. Larger scale antibody testing — also called serologic surveillance — helps provide a more complete incidence of infection, aids in determining the portion of the population that are already immune, and improves understanding of transmission — thereby assisting in evaluating the impact of mitigation measures.
COVID-19 Testing Delivered to Your Door
As the coronavirus pandemic dug its heels into every facet of our lives, our team at Because Health recognized the need to take action and put all of our resources and attention toward reducing the potential burden on our national health care system. We were compelled to research, identify, and add validated testing to deliver a combination of nasal swab testing for SARS-CoV-2 and blood testing for both qualitative and quantitative antibody response to SARS-CoV-2.
Consistent with our preventative approach to medicine, we decided to identify asymptomatic carriers returning to the workplace (e.g., offices, restaurants, retail stores, etc) by delivering on-site testing and follow-up medical protocols while helping business owners source protective equipment at scale. We launched Workplace Health services to meet critical health care needs and help prevent the spread of this potentially deadly disease.
Our nationwide network of physicians have identified the most reliable tests on the market, and we are proud to include them in our service offerings. All testing and instrumentation follows FDA guidance, and is authorized by the FDA.
Currently, our individual and workplace testing services include:
- Nasal Swab Test & Analysis
- COVID-19 Real Time RT-PCR DNA, swab kit
- SARS-CoV-2 assay is authorized by the FDA’s EUA
- FDA approved/cleared collection and transport process
- Receive results in 24-72 hours, 7 days a week
- Real-time RT-PCR, DNA test for sample analysis
- High Complexity Antibody Blood Test & Analysis
- COVID-19 Total Antibody Test, venipuncture blood draw
- SARS-CoV-2 assay is FDA authorized (EUA)
- FDA approved/cleared collection and transport process
- Receive results in 24-72 hours, 7 days a week
- Quantitative IgM & IgG chemiluminescence on FDA-approved automated chemistry analyzer
For safety and convenience, all testing can be completed on site at the workplace or at a person’s home.
Samples are safely collected by certified medical personnel at convenient appointment times, without the need to visit a public collection facility. Sick patients are referred to primary care providers. Return to work testing services are available in AZ, CA, CO, CT, GA, IL, FL, PA, MA, MI, ME, NH, NY, OH, VT, and WA — with additional states forthcoming.
Are These Tests Crucial to Reopen America?
As our government and business owners look to reopen the economy, reliable coronavirus testing can reduce risks as employees return to work and consumers try to navigate “the new normal.”
Combination testing provides critical information that translates to confidence for the business owner, workers, and customers. We recommend testing for carrier cases of the active coronavirus as well as to identify antibodies that would indicate someone has previously contracted the virus.
Do you have COVID-19 questions that you’d like answered by a board-certified physician?
In addition to testing, we offer easy-to-understand medical guidance, support resources, and prevention tips for returning to work safely.
You’ll find helpful answers to many of your most pressing questions on our Support page. Or just call us! We’re here to help you.
