A negative test result with this Antibody test means that SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies were not present in your sample. However, a negative result does not rule out an active COVID-19 infection and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment, patient management decisions, or to rule out active infection.
Patients tested early after infection may not have detectable levels of IgM antibody despite active infection; in addition, not all patients will develop a detectable IgM and/or IgG response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Negative IgM
The IgM antibody is the first antibody produced by the immune system when responding to a viral infection.
Your antibody test is showing negative for that antibody right now. Our providers do not diagnose a patient with COVID-19 just based off an antibody test (as there is some variability in that test result). Therefore it is important to come back in for further testing should you start to develop any symptoms or have a new COVID-19 exposure.
If you have a negative IgM antibody test but start to develop symptoms, it is recommended that you return to the clinic for a nasal swab test, as this the most accurate way of diagnosing COVID-19.
Negative IgG
A negative IgG antibody indicates that you probably have not been exposed to COVID-19 in the past.
Due the volume of patients that we are testing and having positive results come back on, it is very challenging for our providers to go over individual results with you. If you would like dedicated time with a provider to discuss additional concerns, you may schedule a telemedicine visit with by calling our clinic at 818-349-9966. We are having a longer than normal wait times for our phone operators as they are filtering continuous COVID question calls from the community.