DRAPER — The city of Draper is adding another day of COVID-19 antibody testing to it’s calendar after the first few days sold out within 48 hours.
Many people are wondering if they should even get an antibody test after new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that many of the tests are often inaccurate.
On Wednesday, State Epidemiologist, Dr Angela Dunn, said that studies found the finger prick test, which is popular in the Salt Lake area, is wrong more often than it is right.
However, Dr. Paul Benson, the owner and clinical director of Rapid Screen Solutions, which is conducting the antibody testing in Draper, is standing up for the tests.
Benson said early on, there was a rush on antibody tests from China and other countries and many of those weren’t very accurate, but the Food and Drug Administration has started to crack down on those tests.
He said the tests being used in Draper are the only finger prick tests in the nation that have an emergency use authorization and are 96 percent accurate.
"When we have a positive test we are now doing a second test to validate the first one and that reduces even at 4 percent in accuracy down to virtually zero," Benson said.
Benson said you can research the kind of tests the company is using by visiting the FDA's website.
The new testing date in Draper is June 3, and there are 500 spots which can be purchased and reserved online.