by: Summer Kelley
More and more people who were sick in December 2019 and January and February of this year are testing positive for the novel coronavirus antibodies.
Dade County Executive Ted Rumley announced during the Monday, May 11 COVID-19 Update that he, and County Commissioners Allan Bradford and Lamar Lowery, were now among the increasing numbers of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. Dade County, as of 8 p.m. on Monday evening, was reported as having 17 positive COVID-19 cases, 11 of which were positive antibody tests. The Department of Public Health is no longer including positive antibody tests in the case numbers, but when the antibody cases were first included, the number of positive antibody cases was nearly three times the number of active cases for the county.
Having a positive antibody test indicates that the person tested has had the virus and recovered. All three commissioners have said they were sick in January and February with the same symptoms the CDC has attributed to novel coronavirus and all three tested negative for the flu.
Rumley said he went to the Ready Clinic in Lafayette for testing where they did a finger prick and he had the results in 20 minutes. The testing there cost $40. Lawson Medical on the square can also do the antibody testing, but use a blood draw test that is sent off to a lab for $25 with insurance. Lawson Medical also offers swab tests for active COVID-19. Swab tests and antibody tests are only available on Lawson Medical on Mondays and Thursdays from 5 pm to 9 pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am to 6 pm, according to Rumley.
Last Thursday, Dade hosted its first active COVID-19 testing with 54 people taking advantage of the free, drive-thru swab test. Results from the test take seven to ten days to return, so there are no numbers of positive tests available from the event, but another drive-thru testing is set for this Thursday, May 14, from 9 am to 4 pm at the four fields sports complex on Highway 11. You must call the Department of Public Health to get a number for being tested.
The full COVID-19 update can be viewed below.
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