Monterey Testing Laboratory One of Few on Central Coast Providing COVID-19 Antibody Testing The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has closed many businesses across the country, but there has also been an unexpected surge in some businesses, especially in the medical, health care and laboratory fields. Monterey, CA, April 14, 2020 — The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has closed many businesses
across the country, but there has also been an unexpected surge in some businesses, especially in the medical, health care and laboratory fields. One such business is the Monterey-based ARCpoint Labs of Monterey Bay, one of the nation’s leaders in drug testing, alcohol screening, DNA and clinical lab testing, corporate wellness programs and employment/background screening. Prior to the quarantines and closures mandated by COVID-19, about two-thirds of ARCpoint business came from wellness testing, specialized testing for people with specific conditions or diseases, such as celiac and lyme disease and mold sensitivities. But now, according to ARCpoint co-owner and lab director Spenser Smith, more than 90% of its testing is focused on COVID-19 antibody testing, tests that determine whether a person has been infected by the virus and recovered, which produces antibodies that can be tested two ways: by a simple fingerprick to draw blood, or a more involved process that takes a tube of blood from the arm, much like a standard blood test. ARCpoint had been doing almost all of its antibody tests the first way, with a drive-through system set up in its parking lot. The other method involves going into the laboratory to have your blood drawn. Results from the finger-prick test can be produced within 15-20 minutes, but because of the high volume of tests, are usually available by the end of the day. The second method requires the blood to be sent to a lab in Florida, with results available in a couple of days. The FDA had allowed labs to give the finger-prick tests on April 1, but by April 11 had changed its guidelines so that labs, including ARCpoint, could only give the second test. “It means we won't be doing the finger-stick version of the test for now, but we will be switching to a version of the test that uses a whole tube of blood from the arm, is more accurate, has earlier detection, and is considered by doctors and health professionals to be a big step forward in medical usefulness,” said Smith. “This test is a new and improved version that we are rolling out to continue our embrace of the newest testing technologies for COVID-19.”