Montgomery County has added serology testing to its options as part the county’s effort to continue to prevent, detect and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. According to Montgomery County Public Health Administrator, Samantha Beeson, “There’s an increasing number of test types being on-boarded in Iowa including in Montgomery County. “There are two main categories of testing, PCR testing and serology testing. A positive PCR test indicates a current COVID-19 infection, while a positive serology test indicates a past or recent COVID-19 infection. Both types of testing help us understand the spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

Serology tests look for a antibodies, which are specific proteins made in response to infections. Antibodies can be found in the blood of people who are tested after infection and show that people have had an immune response to the infection. Antibody test results are especially important for detecting previous infections with few or no symptoms. Find more information on serology testing here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/serologytesting.html

To date, Montgomery County has had five (5) positive PCR COVID-19 tests, and one (1) positive serology test as this new type of testing comes online. Both types of testing results are displayed at the state’s coronavirus website, www.coronavirus.iowa.gov. The state’s medical director, Dr. Caitlin Pedati, also spoke about serology testing today during the Governor’s news conference. “Serology testing will be another tool in helping us fight COVID-19 and contain the spread of this disease,” said Beeson.