April 15, 2020 / Bruce Japsen, Senior Contributor
Abbott Laboratories is launching a laboratory-based blood test designed to detect antibodies to identify whether someone has had the Coronavirus strain COVID-19.
The antibody test, which will run on Abbott’s Architect i1000SR and i2000SR laboratory instruments found in hospitals and big reference labs, is different than diagnostic tests Abbott and other companies have launched that test whether a person has the Coronavirus strain COVID-19. Rather, this antibody testing will look for whether “someone has previously been infected,” the company said in an announcement Wednesday. 
Antibody testing is considered the next wave in U.S. diagnostic testing amid the pandemic because someone who has already been infected may be able to return to work. And in the case of healthcare workers, they could continue to treat sick patients.