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Direct-to-Consumer COVID-19 Antibody Test Available Through Sonora Quest Laboratories

Friday, May 08, 2020   |   Category: Press Releases

TEMPE, Ariz. (May 7, 2020) – Sonora Quest Laboratories, the market share leader in diagnostic laboratory testing in Arizona, announced today that consumers can begin ordering COVID-19 antibody testing without a physician order or insurance. 

The COVID-19 antibody test is offered through their direct-to-consumer My Lab ReQuest™ solution for $99. Consumers can order the test on any device, then follow the prompts to prepay for the test and schedule an appointment. Patients can schedule an appointment at one of the 20+ Sonora Quest Patient Service Centers that have dedicated resources for COVID-19 antibody testing collection. Appointments should be scheduled in advance online at SonoraQuest.com/Appointments. 

In addition to this new offering, Sonora Quest continues to deliver healthcare providers in Arizona access to the COVID-19 antibody test as well as molecular diagnostic testing that has been offered since mid-March. 

"Sonora Quest is offering this test to empower individuals and their physicians to make informed decisions about their exposure to and/or recovery from COVID-19," said Brian Mochon, PhD, D(ABMM), Scientific Medical Director, Infectious Diseases Division for Sonora Quest. "As we gain a greater understanding of the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2, such as its level and duration, tests like these will provide us with a clearer picture of the prevalence of the virus within our community and allow for better insight into the development of protective immunity.” 

According to the FDA, COVID-19 antibody testing may indicate that “the person has been exposed to the virus and developed antibodies against it, which may mean that person has at least some immunity to the coronavirus.” Antibody testing uses blood serum specimens and is sometimes referred to as serology testing. Sonora Quest’s antibody offering uses a test kit developed by EUROIMMUN, a PerkinElmer company that has been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use by authorized laboratories such as Sonora Quest. The test aids in detecting the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG). IgG antibody response typically develops between 10-14 days after symptom onset. 

“We are privileged to partner with Sonora Quest Laboratories in supporting their efforts to provide accurate antibody testing options for patients as an aid in determining recent or prior infection,” said Hamid Erfanian, Chief Executive Officer, EUROIMMUN US. “We are proud to have the first antibody test granted EUA through independent validation from the federal government, with 99% specificity and 100% sensitivity after 21 days following the onset of symptoms.” 

Sonora Quest will perform the antibody testing at its core laboratory in Tempe, and they expect to perform up to 3,000 tests per day initially, then continue to scale up testing capacity on the antibody platform. Sonora Quest turnaround time to report antibody test results is three to six days from specimen collection, depending on demand. Test results will be available to consumers in an easy-to-read report on the SonoraQuest.com patient results portal. 

To obtain the most reliable result, antibody testing should occur at least 10-14 days after symptom onset. That said, patients suspected of currently having or confirmed to have active COVID-19 infection should not visit Sonora Quest Patient Service Centers until at least 3 days have passed without a fever and improvement of respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath). Please follow the CDC’s safety guidelines, by wearing a face mask during your appointment. 

Patients who believe they may have active COVID-19 are strongly encouraged to contact their healthcare provider. Sonora Quest Patient Service Centers do not collect COVID-19 specimens for diagnosis of active infection. 

For more information about the COVID-19 antibody testing, visit SonoraQuest.com/antibody.

About COVID-19 testing at Sonora Quest

Sonora Quest is the leader in infectious disease testing services in Arizona, with a broad menu of molecular, antibody, and other test services to aid diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. On March 20, 2020, the company introduced an RT-PCR test allowing for the detection of nucleic acid in respiratory specimens of patients meeting CDC's clinical criteria for COVID-19 testing. RT-PCR tests for COVID-19 are generally used to aid diagnosis during active disease. Sonora Quest has performed and reported results of more than 60,000 diagnostic COVID-19 tests. Furthermore, with additional test collection supplies such as swabs, reagents and appropriate personal protective equipment, Sonora Quest has additional capacity to run up to 4,200 molecular tests per day at their Tempe lab.

About Sonora Quest Laboratories

Sonora Quest Laboratories, a joint venture between Banner Health and Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), is part of the nation’s largest integrated laboratory system with approximately 3,500 employees serving more than 26,000 patients every day throughout Arizona. Sonora Quest Laboratories is the market share leader in clinical laboratory testing in Arizona, performing nearly 90 million diagnostic tests per year.  Sonora Quest Laboratories offers a local comprehensive test menu which encompasses routine, molecular, prescription drug monitoring, genetic/genomic, women’s health and pathology testing services.  My Lab ReQuest provides consumers direct access to a diverse range of affordable screening tests that can be ordered online at SonoraQuest.com or in any of Sonora Quest’s 75 patient service centers across Arizona. Ninety-eight percent of all testing is performed at our primary testing facilities located in Tempe, Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott and Yuma. Sonora Quest Laboratories is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) which is the gold standard in laboratory accreditation, helping laboratories to maintain accuracy of test results and ensure accurate patient diagnosis. This accreditation ensures the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients as CAP inspectors examine laboratory staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program and records, and overall management. www.SonoraQuest.com.