A guide to understanding COVID-19 antibody test results

Testing for COVID-19 antibodies is available through health care providers or directly through test providers.

What do your results mean?

A positive test shows that you may have antibodies to an infection by the virus that causes COVID-19. 
Having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 may protect you from being infected with the virus again. But if this happens, we don't know what level of protection the antibodies can provide or how long it can last. Confirmed and suspected re-infections have been reported, but remain rare.
You should continue to take steps to protect yourself and others because you could be infected with the virus again.
If you work in a job where you must use personal protective equipment (PPE), continue to use it.
You can test positive for antibodies even if you never had symptoms of COVID-19. This can happen if you had the infection without symptoms, called an asymptomatic infection.
This can happen if you had the infection without symptoms, called an asymptomatic infection. Also there is a chance that you may have been recently infected.

The test may be negative because either you were never in contact with the virus, or because the body usually develops antibodies 1 to 3 weeks after infection. 
Some people take longer to make antibodies, and some people who have been infected with the virus may not develop antibodies at all.
If you have symptoms after an antibody test, you may need to have another test called a viral test. Viral tests are used to identify the virus in samples from your respiratory system, such as a swab from inside your nose.

Whether your result is positive or negative, it does not confirm whether you can spread the virus that causes COVID-19. Until we know more about it, keep taking steps to protect yourself and others. Until your test result is known, talk to your health care provider about your test result and the type of test that was done to find out what the result means. Your provider may suggest a second type of antibody test to see if the results of the first test were accurate.
You should continue to take steps to protect yourself and others because you could be infected with the virus again.
If you work in a job where you must use personal protective equipment (PPE), continue to use it.
You can test positive for antibodies even if you never had symptoms of COVID-19. This can happen if you had the infection without symptoms, called an asymptomatic infection.
This can happen if you had the infection without symptoms, called an asymptomatic infection.
You may not have had COVID-19 ever. Talk to your health care provider about your test result and the type of test you took to find out what the result means.
 You  may have a current infection or have been recently infected.
The test may be negative because the body usually develops antibodies 1 to 3 weeks after infection. It is still possible to get sick if you were exposed to the virus recently. This means you could still spread the virus.
Some people take longer to make antibodies, and some people who have been infected with the virus may not develop antibodies at all.
If you have symptoms after an antibody test, you may need to have another test called a viral test. Viral tests are used to identify the virus in samples from your respiratory system, such as a swab from inside your nose.

Whether your result is positive or negative, it does not confirm whether you can spread the virus that causes COVID-19. Until we know more about it, keep taking steps to protect yourself and others.

Until we know more about it, keep taking steps to protect yourself and others.

Source: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/serology-overview.html