COVID-19 Viral and Antibody Testing in New York
Summary of the different tests available to people in NY who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who are in recovery, antibody testing, where tests can be obtained and how survivors can help others who are struggling to get well.
Information about FREE antibody testing in NY is available HERE
What kinds of tests are available for COVID-19?
Coronavirus / COVID-19 Test:
The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test is given to see if a person has SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Samples are taken from places in the body where the virus is most likely to be found, like the back of the nose or mouth. RNA, which is part of the virus particle, is extracted and converted to complementary DNA for testing. (Sometimes you will see this test referred to as the RT-PCR test. RT stands for Reverse Transcription and refers to this process of converting the RNA to DNA for the purpose of conducting this test.) A positive test means the person has COVID-19 and can transmit the disease to others. It is possible to test positive for the virus and have no symptoms (be asymptomatic). Asymptomatic people can still transmit the virus to others. If you have recovered, this test will not tell you if you had COVID-19 in the past.
Antibody Test:
Serology tests look for antibodies in the blood. These antibodies form as a person is recovering from COVID-19. Antibody tests analyze blood, serum or plasma samples for the presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG), antibodies associated with the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). IgM forms as your body first begins to recover and it provides the first line of defense during viral infections. IgG forms second and provides longer-term immunity and immunological memory. The detection of COVID-19 IgM antibodies tends to indicate a recent exposure to COVID-19, and detection of COVID-19 IgG antibodies indicates a later stage of infection and that the patient may have started to recover. At this time, it is not known how long antibodies will provide immunity from the virus, it could be weeks or a few years.
There are many tests on the market and they are all new. Some have not been vetted by the FDA and are not reliable. Even the tests that have been approved for emergency use by the FDA have not been thoroughly vetted and tested. False positive and negative results are possible. It is possible to test positive for antibodies and still test positive for the virus (with a PCR test). This means that your body is producing the antibodies to fight the virus, but you are still recovering from the virus and can infect others. This is possible even if you are showing no classic symptoms of the virus.
How can I help others after I have recovered?
If you have recovered from COVID-19, you can donate your plasma to help others. The plasma in Survivors contains antibodies that can be used in two treatments to help others recover from COVID-19: direct transfusion and hyperimmune globulin (HIg) treatments.
Plasma that has been collected from recovered patients can be transfused directly to people experiencing serious complications from COVID-19.
Plasma that has been collected from recovered patients is further processed into a medicine called hyperimmune globulin, a potential treatment for people at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
Please consider making a plasma donation to help those in need. You may give more than once (3-8 times depending on the blood center). For information about how to make a plasma donation or register for a medical study, see the information at: https://www.survivorcorps.com.
What are symptoms of COVID-19?
Symptoms that are currently being seen with COVID-19 are cough, fever, headache, new loss of taste or smell, repeated shaking with chills, sore throat, shortness of breath, and muscle pain. Other conditions that have been noted are “covid toes” – dark patches that appear on the toes, hand or other parts of the body and a decrease in blood oxygen level as read by a finger oximeter (ideally levels should be above 92, but this can vary depending on the person). If you are experiencing symptoms, call your healthcare provider.
Are tests for the virus that causes COVID-19 available?
The FDA has approved New York State to authorize the state's 28 public and private labs to begin manual, semi-automated and automated testing for novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. The approval allows the state to dramatically increase testing capacity to thousands of tests per day. Testing is free to all eligible New Yorkers as ordered by a health care provider or by calling the NYS COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-364-3065.
To find a test location near you, go to https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you
Additional locations are listed below:
Multiple CVS clinic locations. See, https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing for specific locations.
A drive-through mobile testing facility at the Sears Parking Lot at 2307 Beverly Road, Brooklyn
A drive-through mobile testing facility opened at the Club House at Aqueduct Race Track Parking Lot, 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., Queens
Three walk-in facilities at health care centers in the South Bronx; Jamaica, Queens; and in Brownsville, Brooklyn (expected week of 4/13). By appointment only. Call: 888-364-3065.
In partnership with Albany Med and St. Peter’s Health Partners, New York State has opened a COVID-19 mobile testing site at The University at Albany , 1400 Washington Ave., Colonial Quad parking lot. The testing center is slated to remain open each day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Testing will be prioritized for individuals in high-risk populations. Appointments are required and may be made by calling 888-364-3065. No walk-ins are permitted and all patients must be in a vehicle.
Westchester Medical Center Drive Thru Testing (for virus, not antibodies). By appointment only. Call 914.202.4530 from 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m for an appointment. Bring an ID to your appointment.
Yonkers, NY by appointment only. Residents need to call the New York State COVID-19 hotline first to make a testing appointment at 888-364-3065. St. John’s Riverside Hospital Parkcare Pavilion at 2 Park Avenue. The site will facilitate testing by appointment only for residents who live in the 10701 zip code where the majority of Yonkers’ COVID-19 cases live. Hudson River Healthcare will be administering the tests.
Mount Vernon, NY by appointment only Residents need to call the New York State COVID-19 hotline first to make a testing appointment at 888-364-3065. Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center (MVNHC) at 107 W 4th Street. The site will operate as a mobile walk-through facility. Open by appointment only. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Valley Cottage, New York, Rite Aid at 133 Route 303 in Valley Cottage offering COVID-19 self-swab testing. Testing is performed in the parking lot, and people undergoing testing remain in their vehicle. The nasal-swab test is self-administered. A pharmacist oversees the procedure.. The tests are free, but will only be given to people who are eligible for testing under federal guidelines and who have pre-registered. Registration and an appointment can be done at riteaid.com. To be eligible for testing, a person must meet guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Participants must be 18 or over.
What do I need to know about antibody testing and where can I get a test for the antibodies in New York?
An antibody test will tell you if you were exposed to COVID-19 and developed antibodies to the virus. Testing is helpful for those people who think they might have had COVID-19 but have now recovered and were not able to get a viral test while they were sick. It is also helpful to a person who was exposed to others who had COVID-19 but experienced no or light symptoms and wants to know if they developed antibodies to the disease. These kinds of tests will become increasingly important to aid society in safely coming out of quarantine.
There are a number of locations offering antibody tests in New York. There are different kinds of antibody tests. Some will give you a positive or negative result and some will tell you the level of antibodies in your system if you are positive.
The City plans to test 140,000 health care workers and first responders for four weeks as part of a partnership with the federal government. The testing will be available at hospitals, firehouses, police stations and corrections facilities. Health care workers and first responders interested in getting tested can sign up at FirstSeroSurveyNYC.com or text “TestNYC” to 78378.
In addition, the City has set up five sites where New Yorkers can get one of 140,000 free coronavirus antibody tests as part of its Test and Trace Program to battle the coronavirus pandemic, The antibody tests will be given at five different testing sites: Manhattanville Health Center in Manhattan, the NYPD Community Center on Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn, 34-09 Queens Blvd. in Queens, 4006 Third Ave. in the Bronx and at the St. John Villa Academy in Staten Island. New Yorkers can sign up for the tests by going to nyc.gov/antibodysurvey or calling (888)-279-0967. The new tests are part of a massive test-and-trace program that Mayor de Blasio announced earlier this month.
For more information about antibody testing, please see our website at: https://www.survivorcorps.com.
Many testing locations require a referral from a health care provider. There are many locations in
your local area offering testing. Please check with your healthcare provider. Multiple national
health testing companies are offering tests such as Quest Labs, PM Pediatrics, Arcpoint and Lab
Corps.
PM Pediatrics: www.pmpediatrics.com/covid-antibodytesting
Labcorp: www.labcorp.com/covid-19/patient-info/testing-options
Additional Antibody testing locations below:
City MD Urgent Care is offering antibody tests in the NY/NJ area at multiple locations. Using the Abbott IgG test https://www.citymd.com/urgent-care-locations
Cure Urgent Care is offering a RDT test (Manhattan: Upper West Side & Upper East Side)
https://cureurgentcare.com/antibody-testing/
More information is available at:
https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.109/tzm.15e.myftpupload.com/wp-content/upload
s/2020/04/CURE-Antibody-Test-FAQs-4-20-2020.pdf
CareMount Medical is now offering both the Ortho Antibody testing and PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing for COVID-19 in multiple NY State locations. Contact your physician prior.
WMCHealth is offering COVID-19 antibody testing to their workforce throughout our network, including for employees based in the hospitals and medical practices at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. As the workforce-testing program gets underway, WMCHealth plans to eventually offer testing to our communities-at-large. Details of this program are being finalized and will be announced in the coming weeks. This antibody test does not take the place of testing for active infection that is currently being conducted in our testing sites across our entire network. Testing for infection is available by appointment and community members experiencing symptoms can visit WMCHealth.org/Testing
Medrite Urgent Care is offering antibody testing in their New York locations:
Register :HERE
Northwell Health Urgent Care offering antibody test at all 52 locations. Uses Abbott test for IgG https://www.gohealthuc.com/nyc/covid-19-antibody-test#treatment-services
https://www.gohealthuc.com/nyc#center-locator
PM Pediatrics various locations for patients 26 and under.
See https://pmpediatrics.com/covid-antibodytesting/
Urgent Care of NY in Thornwood, New City, Yonkers, Tarrytown
http://urgentcareofny.com/
www.arcpointlabs.com/covid-19-antibody-testing/
www.labcorp.com/covid-19/patient-info/testwww.pmpediatrics.com/covid-antibodytesting/
