COVID-19 antibody testing delayed at Orange County Convention Center
Kayla Ferrari, a physician assistant with AltaMed Health Services, prepares to test a drive-through patient for COVID-19 at the Bristol Street clinic on April 21, 2020 in Santa Ana, California. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Re
ORLANDO, Fla. - The coronavirus testing site at the Orange County Convention Center was supposed to open a lane for antibody testing starting Saturday. However, FOX 35 News has learned that testing was delayed in the morning because of missing testing equipment.
We have a reporter gathering details as to why.
Florida received about 200,000 antibody testings and they will help identify those who have been previously exposed to coronavirus.
If you have been exposed, your body will have produced antibodies, giving you protective immunity. These antibodies can be transferred to coronavirus patients in life-threatening situations through blood transfusions, possibly helping them recover.
“This is very important, particularly for our first responders and our healthcare workers, to know who has the antibodies," Governor DeSantis said this week.
He added that the FDA has approved the tests that Florida acquired. Within 15 minutes, the tests should show if the person has developed antibodies. Healthcare workers and first responders will be first priority for antibody testing.
During the same news conference, the governor announced that new mobile COVID-19 testing sites are coming to Florida that can give results in 45 minutes. The labs are built into RV's.
"These are going to be mobile labs with rapid testing capability," he said. "You'll be able to take a sample, bring it to lab, and within 45 minutes, you're going to get the diagnostic result."
DeSantis says the 'first-of-its-kind' testing labs will allow healthcare workers to increase the testing efforts at long-term care facilities.
"We really believe this will be a game-changer."
DeSantis says the new mobile sites will allow for 3,500 tests per week.