What about an antibody test?
While an antibody test may tell you if you have had COVID-19, they’re not exactly known for their accuracy. “Antibody tests are getting better, but there are a lot of antibody tests out there that are still unreliable,” Dr. Schaffner says. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization for these tests in the spring, but later removed certain tests due to “significant clinical performance problems.”
The CDC also stresses that antibody tests “are not 100% accurate and some false positive results or false negative results may occur.” So it’s possible to test positive for COVID-19 antibodies, but not actually have them.
This comes down to various factors. First, there are other coronaviruses known to cause the common cold, and those can get picked up by your antibody test, skewing the results. What’s more, if you’re only in the first days of the infection, antibodies may not be detected at all because your immune system has not built up a response yet.
Does possibly having COVID-19 in the past mean you won’t get infected again?
While the above signs could be an indication that you had COVID-19, they can also be caused by other illnesses. “Certainly a lingering cough and fatigue are well known to be a consequence of influenza—just because you have those doesn’t mean you had COVID-19,” Dr. Schaffner says.
Ultimately, short of having a positive test for COVID-19 when you’re ill, it’s hard to know with total certainty if you’ve had the virus. Still, “there are definitely people who got infected and didn’t notice,” Dr. Adalja says.
With all that in mind, there is one important thing to remember: Even if you did have COVID-19 in the past, that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t get infected again. The CDC specifically states that it’s unclear at this time if people can be re-infected with the virus—and the first case of reinfection was just confirmed in Hong Kong.
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So, even if you suspect you contracted COVID-19 before the pandemic really hit, it’s important to continue practicing prevention methods like wearing a mask, washing your hands regularly, and practicing social distancing when you can, both to protect yourself and others.
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