With millions of COVID-19 cases reported across the globe, antibody tests offer a way to find out if we’ve been exposed to the coronavirus that causes the disease. But what are antibodies?
Antibody tests can detect the presence of antibodies in the blood that bind to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. But why are they antibodies so important? And if we have them, does that mean we’re immune to COVID-19? And if not, why not?
You may have heard news reports explaining that antibody tests are key to slowing the infection rate. You may also have heard medical experts warn that having the antibodies may not guarantee immunity against a second COVID-19 infection.
Here, Jonathan Fogle, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at North Carolina State University, explains what antibodies are and why they are so important:
The post Why antibodies are crucial to fighting viruses appeared first on Futurity.
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