Coronavirus Antibody Tests Available For Essential Workers

MOUNT KISCO, NY — Antibody testing is now being offered by Northern Westchester Hospital for first responders and other essential workers. The serology COVID-19 testing is available for those who live or work in Armonk, Bedford, Chappaqua, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, Pleasantville, Somers, North Salem, Yorktown or Pound Ridge.

The hospital said it anticipates testing for the public will begin by early June.

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Antibody testing is available to the following priority groups:

• Animal care workers (e.g. veterinarians; automotive service and repair workers);
• bank tellers/workers; building code enforcement officers;
• correction/parole/probation officers; child care workers; client-facing case managers and coordinators; counselors (e.g. mental health, addiction, youth, vocational, crisis, etc.);
• delivery workers; dentists and dental hygienists; direct care providers;
• essential construction workers at occupied residences or buildings;
• faith-based leaders (e.g. chaplains, clergy); field investigators/regulators for health and safety; firefighters; food service workers/grocery store workers; funeral home workers;
• health care practitioners, professionals, aides, and support staff (e.g. physicians, nurses, public health personnel); human services providers; hotel/motel workers; laundry and dry cleaning workers;
• mail and shipping workers; maintenance and janitorial/cleaning workers; medical specialists, nutritionists and dietitians;
• occupational/physical/recreational/speech therapists; optometrists, opticians, and supporting staff;
• paramedics/emergency medical technicians (EMTs); police officers; psychologists/psychiatrists;
• residential care program managers; retail workers at essential businesses (e.g. grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, gas stations, hardware stores);
• security guards and personnel; shelter workers and homelessness support staff; social workers;
• teachers/professors/educators; transit workers (e.g. airports, railways, buses, and for-hire vehicles; trash and recycling workers;
• and utility workers

Testing will be offered from 8 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. through May 29 (closed Memorial Day, Monday, May 25) at the hospital's Center for Healthy Living next to Whole Foods in Chappaqua Crossing or at the hospital's main campus at 400 East Main St.

Marla Koroly, M.D., the hospital's senior vice president for medical affairs and chief medical officer, said it was important to prioritize resources to meet the most urgent public health need.

"We fully expect to meet the demand in our communities as we continue to rollout testing behond this priority group," she said. "Efforts to expand testing are critical to help scientists better understand how COVID-19 travels from person to person, why it affects people differently, whether the virus is seasonal like the flu and if people can be reinfected."

Antibody testing is conducted with a simple blood draw to determine whether people who have been previously infected or exposed to COVID-19 have antibodies — proteins in the blood produced by the body's immune system — that help fight infection.

The test doesn't diagnose coronavirus infection, but a negative result means the absence of COVID-19 antibodies in the blood. Most commonly, this indicates someone has not been infected with the COVID-19 virus, but doesn't rule out early or recent infection.

A positive result indicates a person has been exposed to the virus and developed antibodies in their blood. Medical experts are not sure how detected antibodies impact immunity and protect against re-infection.

Pre-registration for testing can be completed at this link and participants will receive a confirmation email after successful preregistration. Bring the following items to your appointment: proof of identification, proof of employment in one of the priority groups and a copy of your insurance card (copayments are waived, you will not be responsible).

Your temperature will be taken upon entry, per New York State regulation.

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