But that could soon change. Scientists are racing to develop a blood test that could detect COVID-19 as well as determine which individuals may be immune to it.
This blood-based methodology, called serology testing, also is referred to as antibody testing. According to experts, antibody tests will be helpful even as COVID-19 cases decline because they can determine how much of the population actually was exposed in the first place.
"It tells you that a person was infected with the virus" in the past, said Robert F. Garry, Ph.D., director of the Tulane Center of Excellence, Global Viral Network. "At some point when this is over, we want to go back and see how many people are infected in the community."