Mokena Clinic One Of First In State To Do COVID-19 Antibody Tests

CHICAGO (CBS) -- New antibody tests may be able to tell if you have had COVID-19 and whether you might have immunity to the virus.

Family First Medical Group in Mokena is one of the first clinics in the state doing the tests.

The process is simple. You call the clinic. They'll set up a video visit, and then if you're eligible you come and get a finger prick and results within 10 minutes.

If you were really sick in December, January or February, and you tested negative for the flu but didn't get a COVID-19 test, this could be a chance for you to see if you might have had it.

"To determine how widespread the pandemic is and whether there are people who have been infected before and actually didn't know it" said Dr. David Beckmann of Family First Medical Group.

The test takes about a minute.

Antibodies are part of your immune system's response to ward off infection. The pinprick of blood will show if there are any coronavirus antibodies in your system and how many.

"If you had positive antibodies it would suggest you were exposed to that infection in the past," Beckmann said.

But immune response varies per person. If you get a positive antibody test, research shows you've likely been exposed at some point even if you didn't know it, and a positive antibody test doesn't necessarily mean you are immune. If you are immune, it's not yet known for how long.

However, a negative antibody test doesn't mean you didn't have it.

The sample size so far is too small. They need more people to get more data. But tests like these are an important step as we start thinking about how to phase people back into the workforce.

The visit for antibody testing is about $40 if insurance doesn't cover it. All antibody and coronavirus testing is covered by insurance.

Family First Medical Group sent the following information about how to get tested:

At Family First Medical Group and Women's Healthcare of Illinois in Mokena and Evergreen Park, we have begun antibody testing to determine if patients have developed immune protection against the COVID-19. We don't yet know how long immunity lasts, but by gathering information on patients who were already infected, we can start to get a better idea.

The process is simple. Call us (708-572-7575), and we'll set up a quick Video Visit to determine if you're eligible. If you are, we'll get you scheduled. It's a finger-stick test, and it only takes 10 minutes to get the results.

As opposed to other testing sites that give results to patients without explanation, Family First provides counselling to patients… we let patients know what their results mean and what to do with their results

More information on antibody testing and plasma donations can be found here.