Antibody tests disappoint

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A woman is tested for coronavirus antibodies at a drive-thru site in Hempstead, N.Y. Associated Press/Photo by Seth Wenig

The United States recently gave 90 companies the go-ahead to roll out blood tests for antibodies to the new coronavirus. The tests could provide more data about how many people have contracted COVID-19, but health officials warn the results are unreliable. Some have flagged people as having antibodies when they do not, giving them a false sense of immunity.

What about a treatment for the disease? A handful of companies, including Gilead Sciences and Roche, are testing older medicines to see if they work. Novartis won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for a trial of hydroxychloroquine. President Donald Trump has promoted the malaria drug as a potential treatment for COVID-19.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about people who survived the coronavirus.