Table 4.

Society recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing*

Categories	Recommendations
Antibody tests	Use antibody test with high sensitivity Use antibody tests with IgG, IgM, IgG, or total antibody; avoid using antibody kits measuring IgA Use orthogonal testing algorithms (two independent tests in sequence when the first test yields a positive result) Administer antibody tests 1 to 3 weeks after symptom onset
Patients to screen	Patients with a previous COVID-19 infection Patients exposed to an individual diagnosed with COVID-19
Limitations of antibody tests	Antibody tests are unable to reveal the following: Duration of antibody protection Potential for SARS-CoV-2 infection Kinetics of antibody response Ability of antibodies to protect from repeat infections Protective titer required to prevent infection A false-positive is possible due to cross-reactive antibodies from previous coronavirus infection

^*Sources: The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security,⁸ European Commission,³⁴ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,³⁵ American Association for Clinical Chemistry,³⁶ Infectious Diseases Society of America.³⁷