Appointments Available at Blood Bank and Additional Drive-Thru Location
San Diego, May 7, 2020 — Genalyte, the company empowering physicians and patients with real-time diagnostics and healthcare analytics, today announced its SARS-CoV-2 Multi-Antigen Serology Panel, which tests for antibodies the body produces in response to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), is now available to the public in partnership with San Diego Blood Bank.
A reliable antibody test represents a crucial step in helping to develop an understanding of the virus, including how long antibodies stay in the body, and if people with antibodies are less susceptible to reinfection. Testing will occur at San Diego Blood Bank centers across the County as well as an additional temporary drive-thru testing site at Westfield UTC (all testing will take place by appointment only). Further drive-thru testing sites may be made available later in the month.
Genalyte maintains a fully College of American Pathologists (CAP)-accredited and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified laboratory, which ensures test results are meeting and exceeding industry standards for clinical laboratory testing. Unlike other SARS-CoV-2 tests on the market, the Genalyte SARS-CoV-2 serology panel goes through rigorous validation efforts to ensure clinical effectiveness and has a very low false-positive rate—with accuracy exceeding 99 percent.
“High-quality, extensive antibody testing is needed to provide essential feedback to physicians, health care providers, and to our community,” said Cary Gunn, CEO of Genalyte. “Our antibody panel allows us to test for IgM and IgG antibodies with overnight test results from our San Diego lab. This is important because IgG antibodies in particular typically remain long after a person has recovered and are believed to be a marker of sustained immunity, although the duration of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 needs further study. Determining a person or a population’s level of exposure and potential immunity is not only essential to facilitate research to develop an understanding of the virus, but also to enable our City with the knowledge we need to safely return to daily activities.”
The antibody testing service is meant for people who are no longer experiencing any symptoms and have been symptom-free for at least 14 days. People with active symptoms should contact their doctor to discuss options. Once a blood sample is drawn, it will be sent to Genalyte’s core San Diego lab for processing, and results will be available to participants within 24-48 hours.
“San Diego Blood Bank exists to save lives and support community health. Working with a trusted partner like Genalyte is an extension of our mission, and we are proud to provide greater access to COVID-19 antibody testing for our community,” said Mark Edmunds, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, San Diego Blood Bank. “The importance of aligning with a proven partner, able to deliver high-quality test results is essential in our efforts to place SDBB at the leading edge of transfusion medicine in the face of this pandemic,” he said.
Those interested in being tested for antibodies to the virus can register and book appointments at www.genalytecovid19.com.
###
About Genalyte: Genalyte is a healthcare analytics and diagnostics company that improves patient outcomes and lowers cost with real-time results for physicians and patients. Genalyte delivers rapid, actionable results to doctors through decentralized laboratory testing, backed by remote telehealth oversight and monitoring. For more information, please visit www.genalyte.com.
About San Diego Blood Bank:
San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives today and improving life tomorrow. In partnership with our community, SDBB ensures a safe blood supply to the region and supports a variety of wellness and research initiatives related to cancer, regenerative medicine and more. It is all part of SDBB’s vision to improve the quality of human life. For more information about SDBB, visit www.sandiegobloodbank.org.
