CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Abbott Laboratories on Wednesday announced it has developed an antibody test that may determine whether a person has had the novel coronavirus.
People who have certain antibodies are believed to have recovered from COVID-19 and in theory would have immunity from getting sick again. These individuals could be safe from infection once social-distancing restrictions are lifted. There is no vaccine.
The Abbott antibody test can be used in existing platforms that are installed across the U.S.
The north suburban-based company anticipates shipping 4 million tests this month.
Abbott recently developed a five-minute test to determine if someone is currently infected with COVID-19. Testing on a mass scale is seen as important in containing the spread of the potentially fatal virus.