McLean County Times

Antibody testing for COVID-19 is available in Central Illinois as Dr. Tom Pliura has opened a clinic in Bloomington.

“The governor here in Illinois [Gov. J.B. Pritzker] wants to help him in any way I can to reopen or give him the level of comfort,” Pliura told WGLT. “What I keep hearing is test, test, test, but there’s a lot of places that aren’t doing that.”

While Pliura is testing for antibodies, OSF Healthcare isn't testing for them. 

“At this time, OSF HealthCare is still in the discovery phase when it comes to antibody tests related to COVID-19 and is not giving them,” spokesperson Shelli Dankoff told WGLT. “There are still questions around the best way to do the tests and what to test for. We continue to gather information to make the best decision for those who come to us for care.”

Advocate BroMenn Medical Center has begin antibody testing. 

“The results of antibody testing will help in estimating the total number of people who have been infected with COVID-19 in the United States,”  Advocate spokesperson Lynn Hutley told WGLT. “In addition, it will help us learn how the body's immune system responds to the virus and how the virus spreads. We will continue to evaluate the potential for expanding to more patients.”

Other health care centers have been announcing antibody testing, but the amount of testing available is limited. One reason is due to people being concerned about the reliability of the tests. Of the 2,000 antibody tests Pliura has done, only 3% show the patient has the coronavirus. 

“I think these antibody tests early on got some bad press by China flooding the market or attempting to flood the market with some unreliable tests,” Pliura told WGLT. 

Still, people want to know whether or not they have had the virus. 

“There is a tremendous desire for people to want to know,” Pliura told WGLT. “They want to know whether they had it or not.”

Pliura will have his clinic open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and set limited hours for weekends. To test for antibodies, Pliura is having patients register online.