Thank you for donating blood through the American Red Cross during this unprecedented and uncertain time. During the blood donation process, samples are collected and sent to a laboratory where they undergo routine screening and infectious disease testing. Recently, the Red Cross began screening donations for antibodies to the SARS coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.This COVID-19 antibody test is authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and may indicate if your immune system has produced antibodies to the coronavirus, regardless of whether you developed symptoms.
A positive test result indicates that you may have had a previous exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19 and your body has developed specific antibodies to the virus, regardless of whether you developed symptoms. A positive antibody test does not confirm infection or immunity. It is currently unknown whether the presence of COVID-19 antibodies will provide immunity to future infection, although this has been shown to be the case in similar viruses for a period of time. If your test result is positive, the Red Cross may contact you to request additional information and conduct further testing as part of a research study. If additional testing occurs, you will be notified of the results by mail.
A negative test result means that you probably have not been exposed to COVID-19 and therefore have not developed antibodies to the virus. It also could indicate that antibodies are present but at levels below the test’s threshold for detection, or that the test did not recognize those antibodies. It is possible that you can still contract the virus, if exposed. It takes one to three weeks after an infection for antibodies to be present.
A not available test result means that your test result is not yet available or your donation was not tested. Please wait for seven to 10 days after your donation to confirm that your sample has completed the testing process. If it has been 10 days or more after your donation and your result is still not available, your donation was not tested. Per standard procedures, only successful donations are sent to our laboratory for testing.
For additional information about your test result, you may download or view the manufacturer’s fact sheet.