Quest Diagnostics is rolling out the first antibody test for the coronavirus that you can order online. Here's how you can get one.

• Quest Diagnostics is letting people sign up for antibody tests for the novel coronavirus online.
• Starting today, people in the US can order the tests on Quest's consumer testing site without visiting a doctor.
• At $119, the kit is one of the more expensive offered on Quest's site. It requires a blood draw at one of Quest's 2,200 locations.
• While there's still much to be discovered about immunity to the coronavirus, antibodies to respiratory illnesses typically confer some level of protection against future infection.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Quest Diagnostics is rolling out antibody tests for the novel coronavirus that you can buy online.

Starting today, people in the US can order the tests on Quest's consumer site without visiting a doctor's office. The test costs $119, and requests are reviewed by licensed physicians.

After ordering the test, you have to go give a blood sample at a Quest testing center. The tests aren't used to diagnose a current infection with coronavirus. Rather, they're intended to figure out whether people have had the disease in the past.

The test looks for antibodies to the coronavirus in your blood. Your body makes antibodies to fight off infections, and they typically last for a period of time after you're exposed to a virus.

Quest's offering is the first that individuals can order themselves, despite the steady flow of antibody kits into the US healthcare system, according to the company. Quest's tests are supplied through Abbott Labs and PerkinElmer's Euroimmun business, and the lab giant has said it expects to run 150,000 tests per day by early next month.

How it works

Once their test requests are approved, people will need to visit one of Quest's 2,2000 laboratories and have their blood drawn by a technician. Results should be available within 48 hours on the patient portal MyQuest, according to the company.

At $119, the kit is one of the more expensive offered on Quest's site and is not covered through insurance, according to the company. To be eligible, people must not have experienced coronavirus symptoms for at least 10 days. They also have to wear face masks in the lab and pass a temperature check upon arrival, according to the company.

Customers will have the opportunity to speak to a physician about their results, according to Quest. While there's still much to be discovered about immunity to the coronavirus, antibodies to respiratory illnesses typically confer some level of protection against future infection.

Abbott says its antibody kits are 100 percent accurate when it comes to detecting coronavirus antibodies, a metric called "sensitivity." Euroimmun does not disclose the kits' sensitivity on its website, but says they're highly accurate.

Inaccurate tests loom

Concerns have mounted in recent weeks as more than 140 sellers have flooded the market with unapproved antibody kits. The US Food and Drug Administration lowered the bar for approval in an effort to make the tests more widely available during the pandemic.

Some of the companies, however, are providing misleading information about FDA authorization, withholding information about accuracy, or vetting the tests for different purposes than what they'll actually be used for, according to the agency and reporting by Business Insider.

A study backed by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan discovered wide-ranging, if preliminary, performance data for a number of popular antibody kits over the weekend. They were 81.82 % to 100% sensitive after 20 days since the onset of subjects' coronavirus symptoms, but performed worse with less time since the onset.

The study began before several major healthcare companies announced the availability of antibody tests. Abbott, Siemens Healthineers, and Roche all make the tests, and Beckman Coulter plans to as well. Together, the companies plan to make tens of millions of tests each month by the summer.

Consumer-ordered tests in short supply

Despite dozens of companies' interest in antibody or "serology" testing, consumer-ordered tests have been in short supply. That's largely due to the FDA's stricter standards around self-administered kits.

"With the introduction of this test and service, Quest is making it easy for people to access quality testing for antibodies to the virus which causes COVID-19, with access to physician interpretation and steering into needed care," said Jay Wohlgemuth, Quest's chief medical officer, in a statement.

"Our goal is to empower individuals and their physicians to make informed decisions about their risk of infection and of spreading the virus," he said.

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