An article in Inverse explains how one test offers the surest way to determine if you had a past Covid-19 infection.
More than half of Americans have had COVID-19 – Here’s how to tell if you are one of them
According to a recent CDC report, most Americans have been exposed to Covid-19.
In their study, the CDC used antibody (or “serology”) tests to determine if people had previous Covid-19 infections. While antibodies elicited by the vaccines also combat the virus, they’re slightly different from the antibodies produced by natural infection.
That’s because the antibodies produced by the vaccines focus on the spike protein: the “key” that the virus uses to get inside your cells. It’s an effective way to block the virus from getting into your cells but doesn’t look exactly like the antibodies you get from the infection.
Accurate method to detect previous infection
By analyzing data taken between September 2021 and February 2022, the CDC says by the final month of 2021, 34 percent of Americans had these antibodies. By February, that number shot up to 58 percent.
According to the CDC, the prevalence of these antibodies varied by age, from as high as 75 percent in children aged 0 to 17 and as low as 33 percent in people 65 and older.
Their methods are also your best method: The best, most accurate way to determine if you have had a previous Covid-19 infection is a serology or antibody test, though it is not a guarantee.
The CDC notes that a small portion of people won’t develop antibodies in response to an infection. Further, some serology tests will not distinguish between vaccination and disease, so it’s essential to know which test you are getting.
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Source: Inverse
