A scientist presents an antibody test for coronavirus in a laboratory of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) at the InfectoGnostics research campus in Jena, Germany, Friday, April 3, 2020. An international team of researchers with the participation of the Jena Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) has developed a rapid antibody test for the new coronavirus. By means of a blood sample, the test shows within ten minutes whether a person is acutely infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (IgM antibody) or already immune to it (IgG antibody). The strip test is manufactured by the diagnostics company Senova in Weimar and is already on the market. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
MINOT, N.D. – Ward County will begin offering antibody testing to county employees soon.
In a 3-to-2 vote county commissioners decided to get 2,500 free test kits from the state.
The kits will run through Trinity Health.
The county will pay for that processing with federal CARES Act funding.
“We want to make sure we do our part in mitigating the spread of it, and another thing is we don’t want our employees to be tentative about if they have it to find out, so if they do have it, they’re not spreading it ,” said Ward County Commissioner Jim Rostad.
The county said the human resource department has already started the process of making the tests available to employees.
