Tower Health Urgent Care is now offering COVID-19 antibody testing. This test may help determine if an individual was exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and, if so, whether or not their body has developed antibodies. Tower Health Urgent Care facilities are open 365 days a year from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“The antibody test results will provide you and your loved ones with the peace of mind knowing if you were infected with COVID-19, regardless of whether you developed the typical signs and symptoms,” said Charles Barbera, MD, Tower Health Vice President of Pre-Hospital and Unscheduled Care.
Individuals may qualify for an antibody test if they had a confirmed case of COVID-19 and have since recovered. They may also be eligible if they previously experienced symptoms but never got tested, or were exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 positive individual more than 14 days before. Individuals currently experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 such as a fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of smell or taste are not eligible to be tested for antibodies. If you are experiencing these symptoms, please contact your local Tower Health Urgent Care.
- Testing is available at the Tower Health Urgent Care locations listed below from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
- Patients should obtain a lab order from their physician or Advanced Practice Provider and bring it to their preferred Tower Health Urgent Care location. No appointment is necessary.
- If you don’t have a physician’s lab order, you may visit one of our urgent care locations and one of our physicians or APPs will evaluate you to determine whether a test is medically necessary.
“Having antibodies usually gives immunity from further infection but it is not known how long COVID-19 antibodies will last, or if they will protect you from getting infected again,” said Dr. Barbera. “This disease is new, and new information continues to be identified. Typically, most people develop antibodies when exposed to infections, but some may not.”
If an individual’s results are negative, it means they do not have COVID-19 antibodies in their bloodstream, and likely never had the virus. If their results are positive, it means the individual previously had a COVID-19 infection, whether or not they experienced the typical COVID-19 symptoms. An antibody test does not test for an active infection. If an individual is experiencing the typical COVID-19 symptoms when they arrive for antibody testing, a nasopharyngeal (nose) swab will instead be collected to check for the virus.
Antibody Testing is Available at the Following Tower Health Urgent Care Locations:
Douglassville
Doylestown
Exeter
Exton
Hockessin
Kennett Square
Lansdale
Levittown
Limerick
Newtown
North Coventry
Oaks
Sinking Spring (as of 7/20/20)
Thorndale (as of 8/3/20)
Villanova
Wynnefield
Wyomissing
Visit TowerHealth.org/Antibody for additional information.
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