PPO or Medicare | Results in 20 minutes
These tests are for patients who are symptomatic for COVID-19 or have had a recent exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus. A dual test may be helpful if you:
- Currently have symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, and/or loss of taste or smell. Other less common symptoms may include tiredness, body or muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, and/or runny or stuffy nose.
- Live or work in a place where people reside, meet, or gather in proximity (this can include healthcare settings, homeless shelters, assisted living facilities, group homes, prisons, detention centers, schools, and workplaces).
- Have been in close contact with someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19.
- Your employer, public health department, contact investigator, or healthcare provider has identified you as someone who should get tested.
- You are visiting a place that requires testing prior to arrival. This testing can also be used to identify individuals who do not have symptoms of COVID-19 or have no known exposure to SARS-CoV-2, but who are unknowingly infected.
- You need a rapid screening test for COVID-19 for school or workplace.
- You are trying to determine if a prior infection with COVID-19 has resolved.
- For any questions regarding the appointments, scheduling process, and test results, please call our main line at (832) 831-3624.
For more information about COVID-19 Testing, please visit the following trusted sources:
2. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
3. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
4. Texas Department of Heath & Human Services
Antibody or serology tests look for antibodies in your blood that fight the virus that causes COVID-19.
- Antibodies are proteins created by your immune system that help you fight off infections. They are made after you have been infected or have been vaccinated against an infection.
- Vaccination is a safe, effective way to teach your body to create antibodies.
- Antibodies can protect you from getting those infections for some period of time afterward. How long this protection lasts is different for each disease and each person.
- Antibody tests should generally not be used to diagnose a current infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. An antibody test may not show if you have a current infection because it can take 1 to 3 weeks after the infection for your body to make antibodies.
Effect of vaccination
- COVID-19 vaccines teach your body to produce antibodies to fight infection from the virus that causes COVID-19. If you get an antibody test after receiving a vaccine, you might test positive by some (but not all) antibody tests. This depends on which type of antibody the specific test detects.
- Antibody testing is not currently recommended to determine if you are immune to COVID-19 following COVID-19 vaccination. Antibody testing should also not be used to decide if someone needs to be vaccinated. CDC’s Interim Guidelines for COVID-19 Antibody Testing provide more information on how antibody testing should be used and interpreted.
Whether you test positive or negative for COVID-19 antibodies using an antibody test, you still should take steps, including getting vaccinated, to protect yourself and others.
