Get tested today - safely and conveniently

By The Medical City (TMC), Ortigas | July 09, 2020

The test is called serological Enhanced “Chemiluminiscence” Immunoassay or ECLIA. It detects antibodies produced in patient blood due to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the scientific name of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. This serology test has a specificity of 100%* and sensitivity of 100%*. *(Sensitivity Confidence Interval of 92.7 to 100% > 8 days from onset of symptoms and Specificity Confidence Interval of 99.1 to 100%)

A pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has been spreading throughout the world. Though molecular diagnostic tests (RT-PCR technology) are the gold standard for COVID‐19, serological testing is emerging as a potential surveillance tool, in addition to its complementary role in COVID‐19 diagnostics.

What is ECLIA Antibody Test?

The test is called serological Enhanced “Chemiluminiscence” Immunoassay or ECLIA. It detects antibodies produced in patient blood due to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the scientific name of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. This serology test has a specificity of 100%* and sensitivity of 100%*. *(Sensitivity Confidence Interval of 92.7 to 100% > 8 days from onset of symptoms and Specificity Confidence Interval of 99.1 to 100%)

Sensitivity is the proportion of patients who do have the disease that return a reactive test result.
Specificity is the proportion of patients without the disease who return a non-reactive test result. Both are expressed as a number or percentage.

The sample that will be taken from the patient will be tested for total antibodies and IgG. The test detects all antibodies (IgM, IgA, IgG, and other isotypes) that develop in most patients as an immune response from eight days onwards (>8 days) after symptoms of COVID-19 begin. These antibodies indicate if the patient may have had a recent or past COVID-19 infection (IgM /IgA/other Isotypes) and have developed antibodies that may protect the patient from future infection (IgG).

This ECLIA antibody test provides very important information to aid in diagnosis, management and recovery from COVID-19 and will also help researchers evaluate how many people in the population have been infected, which is important to planning infection control.

The ECLIA test is simple and straightforward. It involves taking a sample of your blood, which will be sent to a laboratory for analysis. Test result will be available within 24 hours.

Who might benefit from testing?

Asymptomatic individuals who are required to submit antibody testing for work clearance
Asymptomatic individuals who were exposed to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient at least 8 days prior to testing
Recovered and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients who wish to confirm the presence of antibodies in preparation for donation for convalescent plasma treatment

* Antibody tests should not be used to diagnose acute infection with COVID-19. An RT-PCR must be obtained for this purpose.

What is the benefit of the ECLIA Antibody Test?

The result may help limit the spread of COVID-19 for patient management, tracking and surveillance.

What does your result mean?

Total (IgM, IgA, IgG)	IgG	Possible Interpretation:
Non-reactive	Non-reactive	No SARS CoV-2 antibodies detected. May represent acute infection in the window period. Consult a doctor if symptomatic.
Reactive	Non-reactive	SARS CoV-2 antibodies present (including IgM or IgA), likely acute phase. Will need RT-PCR Testing.
Reactive	Reactive	SARS CoV-2 antibodies present (mostly IgG), likely recovery or convalescence phase.

Here’s a brief description of the types of CoVID-19 test: ECLIA, and Rapid Test.

ECLIA

Rapid Test

Description:

Performed on a fully automated machine, lab-based, and uses whole blood, plasma, or serum samples from patients.
This test can look for multiple types of antibodies, including IgG, IgM, and IgA.

Description:

A manual method for detection of IgM and IgG antibodies to the virus causing CoVID-19 in blood, serum or plasma samples.

Level of Accuracy:

It utilizes Enhanced Chemiluminescence
Technology and has 100% sensitivity* and 100% specificity*

*(Sensitivity Confidence Interval of 92.7 to 100% > 8 days from onset of symptoms and Specificity Confidence Interval of 99.1 to 100%)

Level of Accuracy:

Lower sensitivity and specificity, higher incidence of false negative.

Is ECLIA Antibody Test available at The Medical City?

The Medical City offers both Enhanced Chemiluminiscence Immunoassay or ECLIA antibody test at its Drive-Thru COVID-19 testing site. The ECLIA antibody test drive-thru site is open Mondays to Sundays from 7AM to 10AM.

For more information about ECLIA and other CoVID-19 tests available at TMC, contact 8988-1000/8988-7000.