Oklahoma Blood Institute Relaunching Coronavirus Antibody Testing

The Oklahoma Blood Institute is relaunching its coronavirus antibody testing.

The OBI said it is relaunching this program because of the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the state right now.

The antibody test will tell people if they were previously infected with COVID-19 and didn’t know.

The OBI said this test measures the antibodies from a natural COVID-19 infection. Officials said the test will not measure the vaccine response, which creates a different mechanism.

Oklahoma Blood Institute performed antibody testing earlier in the pandemic and just recently stopped in May of this year.

During that time, nearly 300 thousand tests were completed, with a 16% positivity rate.

The OBI said knowing whether you have previously had COVID-19 can be beneficial when faced with future health concerns.

The OBI said in addition to the antibody testing – it is always in need of blood.

Officials said the blood supply in Oklahoma is still at critical levels and donating blood takes up to one hour saving up to 3 lives.

16 and 17 years old are allowed to get tested for antibodies but they need their parent’s consent.

Appointments can be made by calling 1-877-340-8777 or visiting obi.org. More information on Oklahoma Blood Institute can be found by Clicking Here.