Coronavirus tests are the most desirable products these days, forcing some people to cross state lines in search of the answer: “do I have COVID-19 or not”? But the real breakthrough might come with a test answering another question: “have I recovered and built up immunity?”
Confirmation of being infected or not is a very useful piece of information, especially with some people spreading coronavirus without the slightest symptoms. However, this test only gives you the answer about here and now, even with a negative result you might test positive in a week, perhaps even tomorrow.
The really useful piece of information is learning that you have a high level of antibodies in your blood. It means you've been through COVID-19 and your body learned to defeat it. It doesn't mean you won't ever get sick again, such a notion would be premature as scientists are still learning more about the novel coronavirus. But it means your body is prepared for the threat if or when it arrives again.
Many economists see this kind of information as potentially game-changing for the American economy. If a person is not at risk, the decision to send them back to work or school is easier. Here's where current testing regimens fall short. There is no testing method that would guarantee 100% accuracy and only one out of dozens of developed tests has so far been approved for use by the FDA.
