New coronavirus related testing available for Clark County residents

Clark County residents that think they may have had COVID-19 can now be tested locally through CompuNet Clinical Laboratories, according to Clark County Combined Health District.

The test appears to be “fairly reliable,” Clark County Combined Health District Commissioner Charles Patterson said Monday during a presentation to the Springfield Rotary.

“It’s an interesting, new thing for us and it appears that the sensitivity and the specificity of the Abbott test appears to be pretty good,” Patterson said.

The Abbott test is an antibody test performed on a patient’s blood sample and determines if a client has been previously been infected with COVID-19. Residents wanting the antibody test do not need a doctor’s order, Patterson said.

CompuNet, located at 2355 Derr Road in Springfield, is taking walk-in antibody tests, Clark County Combined Health Distict Spokesperson Emma Smales said.

Patterson said the Abbott test is also available locally at LabCorp, but additional details were only available about testing at CompuNet.

“The test costs $65 and payment is due at time of service using a credit card,” a press release from Premier Health said. “CompuNet cannot bill insurance companies for the patient-ordered direct access test.”

RELATED: Coronavirus cases more than double in Clark County

Premier Health, one of the region’s largest hospital networks and health systems, holds the majority ownership stake in CompuNet.

“Premier Health and CompuNet are pleased to expand access to antibody testing in our community,” Teresa Williams, chief operating officer at CompuNet said in the press release. “This is one of Abbott’s newest testing platforms, allowing for hundreds of tests to be run in the course of one hour at CompuNet’s Moraine core laboratory, giving providers and patients critical information about their COVID-19 virus antibody status.”

The test received Emergency Use Authorization from the Food & Drug Administration, according to the press release.

“Antibody testing is not for individuals who believe they have an active COVID-19 infection,” the press release said.

Testing for an active COVID-19 infection involves testing an individual’s viral load - they are looking for the actual virus, not the antibodies that an individual’s body creates, Smales explained.

Clark County has four locations for residents to get a diagnostic test to determine if they have an active infection.

RELATED: Four testing locations in the Clark County area now available

The testing locations are Northparke Internal Medicine at 211 Northparke Dr. Ste. 101 in Springfield, Rocking Horse Community Health Center at 651 S. Limestone St. in Springfield, New Carlisle Family Practice at 432 N. Main St and Madison Health EBY Building at the Madison County Fairground at 205 Elm St. in London, according to the Clark County Combined Health District,.

The testing location in London is included in the health district’s local testing sites list due to the close proximity to Clark County, Smales said.

Testing at all four locations is not free and will be billed through insurance, Smales said. Each testing location also has its own eligibility requirements in order to receive a test.

The testing is being provided by independent providers, Smales said, not conducted through the health district.

For more information on testing and eligibility requirements, residents can visit the health district’s website at ccchd.com.

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