New antibody test in Ontario can detect who was sick with COVID-19, even without symptoms

By Beatrice Toplitsky

Ontarians can now pay for a blood test for COVID-19 antibodies, a Canadian lab testing company announced recently.

LifeLabs, a Canadian company that specializes in laboratory testing for diseases, said it has developed a test to determine whether or not a person has been infected with COVID-19 in the recent past, even if they showed no symptoms. The test costs $75 and is not covered by OHIP.

For the most accurate results, LifeLabs recommends the test be taken three to four weeks after symptoms are present or after suspected exposure to the virus.

It’s still unclear whether the presence of antibodies means immunity to re-infection, the company said.  The new test doesn’t reveal whether or not a person is still capable of transmitting the virus to others.

However, it does show whether or not a person has been infected, which is important for contact tracing.

So far the test is available in Ontario and British Columbia at select Lifelabs service centres, and can be prebooked online via the LifeLab’s website.