Phlebotomist: Coronavirus Antibodies Found in 30-50% Tested for COVID-19

A phlebotomist working at a Chicago hospital said Thursday that 30 to 50 percent of those tested for coronavirus have antibodies, and 10 to 20 percent of those tested are actual carriers of the virus.

Sumaya Owaynat, a phlebotomy technician for Rosewood Community Hospital, has had extensive experience with coronavirus testing over the last few weeks, as she has been testing around 400 to 600 people per day in the hospital’s parking lot. Owaynat also stated that there is a far greater number of those that have come through her line and have already recovered from the virus compared to those who currently have the disease.

“A lot of people have high antibodies, which means they had the coronavirus but they don’t have it anymore and their bodies built the antibodies,” Owaynat told Chicago City Wire.

After speaking with Owaynat, the Chicago City Wire noted:

Antibodies in the bloodstream reveal that a person has already had the coronavirus and may be immune to contracting the virus again.

If accurate, this means the spread of the virus may have been underway in the Roseland community – and the state and country as a whole – prior to the issuance of stay at home orders and widespread business closures in mid-March which have crippled the national economy.

In addition, those who show signs of already having had the illness should be able to re-enter society — albeit with some modified social distancing measures in place — rather than sheltering at home as they are no longer in danger.

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