COVID-19 Testing

HealthLink Diagnostic Laboratories remains committed to supporting our providers and patients in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by infection of a new form of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Healthlink currently offers the following COVID-19 testing options:

(1) Viral Swab Test

(2) Antibody Blood Test

sars-cov-2 (covid-19) antibodies - blood test

The COVID-19 Antibodies test can detect the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies for SARS-CoV- 2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from blood samples with results generally provided within 1 to 2 days. IgM antibodies are usually the first antibody type generated by the body in response to infection. These IgM antibodies develop in as soon as 3 to 5 days, acting as the body’s first line of defense against the foreign virus. IgG antibodies are produced in the late stages of infection (usually around 10 to 18 days) and can remain in the body for months or years after recovery. Both IgM and IgG antibodies work by targeting specific antigens on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A positive antibody result indicates that an individual has likely produced an immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A negative antibody result indicates that an individual has not developed detectable antibodies at the time of testing. While this is contingent on a variety of factors, a negative result could be due to: testing too early during the course of the COVID-19 disease, no exposure to the virus, or lack of an adequate immune response.