Is there a test to see if you had covid?
A Spike COVID Antibody Test can detect a past COVID-19 infection in a non-vaccinated individual. But if your vaccinated, you’ll need a Nucleocapsid COVID Antibody Test to see if you already had COVID.
COVID-19 is a viral disease that has affected the lives of billions of people around the world. But you may be wondering if you personally already had COVID-19. You can easily test to see if you already had COVID-19 by undergoing an antibody test. There are different types of tests available, including the spike COVID antibody test and the nucleocapsid COVID antibody test. Depending on your vaccine status, you need to select the proper antibody test type to detect a prior COVID-19 infection. The good news is both spike and nucleocapsid antibody tests are available for use in the USA via an FDA authorized at-home kit. Both types of tests are simple to collect, provide accurate results, and are an affordable option for at-home use to detect whether you already have been exposed to COVID-19 and made a protective antibody response.
Non-Vaccinated Individuals: Can use a spike antibody test to detect a past COVID-19 infection
The spike COVID antibody test detects the presence of antibodies specific to the spike protein of the coronavirus. This test can be used to determine if a non-vaccinated person has been infected with COVID-19. If you are non-vaccinated and want to know if you already had COVID, check out the At-Home COVID-19 Antibody Test With Antibody Score.
Vaccinated Individuals: Need to use a nucleocapsid antibody test to detect a past COVID-19 infection
On the other hand, a nucleocapsid COVID antibody test is needed to determine if a vaccinated individual already experienced a prior COVID-19 infection. This is because the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the USA are designed to induce the production spike antibodies, which means vaccinated individuals may test positive to spike antibody tests regardless whether they experienced or not a previous COVID infection. The nucleocapsid COVID antibody test detects antibodies exclusive to the nucleocapsid protein of the coronavirus, which is not targeted by the vaccines. If you are vaccinated and want to know if you already had COVID, check out the Comprehensive At-Home COVID-19 Antibody Test, that in part checks for nucleocapsid COVID-19 antibodies.
Both tests are FDA authorized for self-collection in individuals 18 and older, or for collection by an adult in children five and older.
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About 4U Health
4U Health offers at-home lab testing to help you feel like your best self. Visit us at 4uHealth.com to learn about our COVID-19 Antibody Self-Collection At Home Test Kit, explore healthy living and wellness topics, and view our full at-home lab testing menu.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021). Testing for COVID-19. URL.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2021). COVID-19 Antibody Testing. URL.
Updated: March 23, 2023