Health workers, first responders priority for antibody tests

South Florida will get the first state testing site to detect antibodies to the coronavirus, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday.

The plan, for now, is to focus on health care workers and first responders to figure out who’s been exposed and has some level of immunity.

The antibody testing will be added to the drive-thru coronavirus testing site at Hard Rock Stadium.

DeSantis said the Hard Rock site already has conducted 20,000 coronavirus tests.

“A diagnostic test is a snapshot in time,” he said at a news conference at the stadium in Miami Gardens. “We now have the ability to test for antibodies.”

He acknowledged there’s scientific debate about how long any immunity detected by antibodies to the coronavirus lasts. But, he said, it’s still valuable.

“Once the antibodies develop, if you test positive for the antibodies, it’s not like you’re going to lose the antibodies the next day,” he said. “I think most believe it will confer a certain level of immunity … That is probably the safest assumption.”

Broward Mayor Dale Holness said later the county would like to have some of those tests earmarked for Broward. He said County Administrator Bertha Henry asked the governor for 20,000 of the 200,000 tests, and the county is in talks with Nova Southeastern University to set up protocols for who gets tested and when.

Holness said it would help provide a clear picture of who has already had the virus and is now immune. “It’s a good indicator as to what’s really going on in the community,” he said.

DeSantis said it takes about 15 minutes to get the antibody test results back.

The state has 200,000 tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Besides the Hard Rock site, the tests will be supplied to hospitals for their workers. Antibody tests will also soon be administered in Orange and Duval counties, DeSantis said.

DeSantis and Dr. Scott A. Rivkees, Florida’s surgeon general, said the state was working with OneBlood, which procures blood for most of Florida and some other southeastern states, to randomly test the state’s blood supply for coronavirus antibodies.