As some places in the country begin to reopen their economies, health experts are relying on aggressive testing now more than ever. Some began promoting a new antibody study as the crucial step toward ending the strict self-isolation methods while a vaccine is in the works. 

Antibody tests are designed to show whether or not a patient has previously been infected with COVID-19---even if you never had any symptoms. There is an ongoing theory that recovered patients are now immune to the virus, but it has yet to be proven. 

Until recently, scientists relied on satistical models. Some of the reports suggested at least seven of ten people infected with coronavirus were not counted into the tally. The new antibody tests will help get a more accurate number of cases---symptomatic or not. 

What is the process?

Researchers take blood samples from a group of people. These are often collected from a finger prick. In the blood, they look for antibodies---markers that indicate which infections someone already had. 

The test shows how many people were infected with a virus, including HIV, measles, and dengue. 

Why are antibody tests necessary?

The antibody tests can fill the gap left by selective COVID-19 diagnostic tests---a method that involves swabbing to collect samples from a person's nose. 

If the antibody tests are accurate, the findings could help scientists and medical workers determine how many infected people remained asymptomatic. It could also give health officials a more precise number of COVID-19 infections and would help in defining how deadly the virus is. 

Should the antibody tests work, it can help state officials decide when to lift movement restrictions. 

Are the results accurate?

Dozens of inaccurate blood tests are sold in the United States. According to a report released by researchers, some of the tests are no comparable to each other. 

Even the smallest error can distort the tally of people infected with COVID-19. Inaccurate tests could lead false-positive cases to outnumber real positives. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supervises a strict process to ensure all tests sold in the market are accurate. To date, the agency has only allowed four antibody tests. 

How were early studies conducted?

An antibody study in California got most of its participants through a social media ad. The post asked people who were willing to volunteer to get their finger pricked, and their blood tested to drive to a set location. More than 3,300 were tested.

Experts criticized the researchers for relying on volunteers, especially when some of the people who signed up had suspicions they were previously infected with the new coronavirus. 

"A larger study will yield better results," a medical official said. 

Gathering participants of varying ages, races, and geographic areas can help improve the study's accuracy and determine who's safe and who's spreading the virus. 

High-quality studies often see researchers going house to house to recruit a varied population. 

What happens next?

Two federal health agencies reported more extensive antibody surveys in the works. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to recruit as many as 10,000 individuals across the nation for the study. The participants will reportedly be composed of people who were not previously diagnosed with COVID-19. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced several studies in the works, including one that would involve more than 20,000 blood samples collected at commercial laboratories. Initial results are expected to arrive next month. They are also conduction a test using "leftover samples" from previous blood drives.

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