CDC: Don’t Rely On Coronavirus Antibody Tests For Decisions On Schools, Workplaces

Accuracy problems in coronavirus antibody tests have led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to urge decisionmakers not to rely on their results for reopening offices or letting students gather in schools.

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"Serologic test results should not be used to make decisions about grouping persons residing in or being admitted to congregate settings, such as schools, dormitories, or correctional facilities," the CDC said in recent guidance. It added that the results also shouldn't be used "to make decisions about returning persons to the workplace."

Because the "overall prevalence of antibodies in most populations is likely low," antibody tests, also called serologic tests, could produce false positives "less than half" of the time, according to the CDC.

While it has been suggested that recovering from the virus could provide a person with short-term immunity, the agency urged people who test positive for the antibodies to not assume that they are protected from getting the coronavirus again.

The CDC guidance comes after a report from the American Medical Association made similar conclusions, including saying that the tests "should not be offered to individuals as a method of determining immune status."

"Individuals receiving positive test results may falsely assume it is safe to discontinue physical distancing," the association said.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is reiterating his messaging of reopening America's economy, even after large crowds over Memorial Day weekend drew backlash from health officials.

When asked on Tuesday if he had a message for those people, Trump said: "Always be safe."

"We're opening up, but you want to be safe," he said.

U.S. health officials report 1.68 million cases of the virus and nearly 100,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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