Did you have COVID-19? Find out with a free antibody test at Lincoln Park in Palmetto

Manatee County officials have announced the start of free antibody testing at Lincoln Park, 501 17th St. E. in Palmetto.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management began operating a COVID-19 testing site at the park in May, offering free walk-up tests to screen the community for new infections. The addition of antibody testing will allow adults to screen themselves for past infections.

“The immune system produces these antibodies — proteins that are critical for fighting and clearing out the virus,” the Mayo Clinic said on its website. “If test results show that you have antibodies, it indicates that you were likely infected with COVID-19 at some time in the past.”

Antibody tests are now available at Lincoln Park between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day. Visitors should be 18 or older and have a valid ID, but no prescription or appointment is necessary, according to a news release from the county spokesman, Nick Azzara.

“Unlike the nasal swab COVID screening, antibody testing involves a blood draw,” the release states. “Tests are processed on site, and results are available within 15 minutes.”

The Lincoln Park site is able to conduct 500 COVID-19 tests and 200 antibody tests per day. According to the Florida Department of Health, a negative antibody test can mean several things:

• The test did not find COVID-19 antibodies in the person’s blood at the time of his or her test.
• The person could have COVID-19 but his or her body needs more time to develop antibodies, which can take up to three weeks.
• It may take longer to develop antibodies, or the person may not develop any antibodies.

The state health department also cautioned residents who receive a positive antibody test. It said positive results were not a guarantee that someone is immune to COVID-19.

“There is no conclusive evidence at this time to show a person can’t be infected with COVID-19 more than once,” the department reported.

COVID-19 testing will also continue at the Home Depot walk-up site, 2350 Cortez Road W., Bradenton. Free drive-thru testing is available near the Mall at University Town Center, in the parking lot east of Dillard’s, 140 University Town Center Dr., Sarasota. Both sites operate daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until the available tests run out.

In its daily update on Monday morning, the state health department reported 52 new cases in Manatee County and 4,155 new cases throughout Florida. There were also 35 local deaths — more than a third of the 91 statewide deaths reported on Monday.

There have been 227 deaths and 9,340 confirmed cases in Manatee County since the pandemic began. In total, Florida has recorded 8,277 deaths among residents and nearly 537,000 cases.

“To date, more than 85,500 COVID-19 tests have been completed in Manatee County, just below 21 percent of the total population,” according to Monday’s news release on antibody tests.

“For the past seven days, Manatee County’s positive test rate was 5.7 percent. The week before, positive tests were at 6.6 percent. “

This story was originally published August 10, 2020 at 5:51 PM.