Researchers can test blood samples taken for other reasons to see if patients have previously had COVID-19.
Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Your blood can hold a record of past illnesses. That information can reveal how many people have had a certain infection – like 58% of Americans having had COVID-19 by the end of February 2022.
Expanding coronavirus testing is one of the most important tasks public health officials are tackling right now. But questions over accuracy of the two main types of tests have rightly caused concern.
Testing blood provides answers about who has been infected.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images News via Getty Images
After your body fights off an infection, antibodies remain in your blood. Two researchers explain how tests identify these antibodies and what the data can be used for.