An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection.

Do not schedule this test if you are currently experiencing any symptoms of coronavirus. Instead, get tested for current infection.

An antibody test might not show if you have a current infection because it can take 1–3 weeks after infection for your body to make antibodies. Having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 might provide protection from getting infected with the virus again. If it does, we do not know how much protection the antibodies might provide or how long this protection might last.