TOLEDO, Ohio — COVID-19 antibody testing for first responders in Toledo and Lucas County soon will be conducted as part of the city and county's partnership with Mercy Health, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said Tuesday morning.
The voluntary project starts with first responders as they are at high risk to exposure to COVID-19 on the front lines.
Mercy Health Toledo Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Kevin Casey said "we have reason to think there might be" immunity if people have had COVID-19, following the same pattern of other coronaviruses such as MERS and SARS. He noted there is still more research that needs to be conducted. "We are gathering the information," he said.
Casey said this is considered a "research project" that can help the community understand the impact of immunity to COVID-19, as it is defined.
Health Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski said it was a "great day for Toledo and Lucas County."
"It is so important that we start doing this for our first responders," he said. Zgodzinski said he himself was tested for antibodies and found he was negative.
The testing itself is different from a test for infection. Antibody testing checks to see if a person has already been infected. This is a blood draw that is tested to see if a person had COVID-19.
This helps to see the "immunity of the community," Zgodzinski said. This also helps first responders know if they've already been exposed and potentially have immunity to COVID-19.
"The more data we have, the better off we're going to be," Zgodzinski said.
Commissioner Pete Gerken said "we're getting knowledge out of this. ... When you combine this, the nasal swabs (for infection detection) and (reports) to the health and wellness officer, we are cloaking our first responders."