COVID-19 Antibody testing program coming to Bonnyville

A private blood-testing company, Ichor Blood Services, is coming to Bonnyville for a Pop Up Clinic Feb 28 – Mar 1.

Ichor Blood Services is a private lab specimen collection company based in Calgary and is making COVID-19 Antibody Tests available to the Lakeland. People in the Lakeland don’t generally have access to serology testing for COVID-19 antibodies through their physicians, therefore this company is filling that void.

The cost of a COVID-19 Antibody Test is $120 per person, plus tax. If you are financially not able to afford this test and are interested in being added to the subsidy wait list, you can click here to fill out an alternate form and Ichor will work with the town and small business community to try and find a way to still get you tested at a discount.

You may ask yourself, why do I need a COVID-19 Antibody Test?

“For the unvaccinated, quite simply, natural immunity has been repeatedly and consistently demonstrated to be more effective at preventing reinfection than vaccination, Mike Kuzmickas, CEO of Ichor Blood Services told Lakeland Connect. “This test offers people the opportunity to see if they have had previous exposure to SARTS-COV-2 and have developed antibodies and thus some level of natural immunity.”

There will be seven different tests available to the Lakeland according to Kuzmickas.

The Mayo Clinic Spike Protein Score Based Antibody test provides you with a score from 0-250 as to the strength of antibodies detected against SARS-COV-2 spike protein. The test does not differentiate between vaccine induced antibodies, or antibodies from natural infection and recovery.

The Mayo Clinic D-dimer test is used to find out if you have a blood clotting disorder. The SARS-COV-2 spike protein in both the vaccines, and from the natural virus, has been known to cause blood clotting in a small percentage of cases and this is an excellent way to find out if you have been affected.

The Mayo Clinic Vitamin D test provides your total vitamin D level, allowing you to compare it to reference ranges and check your levels. Vitamin D has known benefitsfor depression, MS, cancer, SARS-COV-2 infections, osteoporosis, and cognitive health to name a few.

The Mayo Clinic Prostate Health Index determines the probability of prostate cancer in men.

The Mayo Clinic Total Testosterone Test (TTST) is used to measure testosterone levels. Low levels are associated with symptoms such as depression, fatigue, low libido, and loss of muscular strength to name a few.

The Mayo Clinic Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) test is used to determine the level of FSH in the blood. Too much or too little FSH can cause a variety of problems, including infertility (the inability to get pregnant), menstrual difficulties in women, low sex drive in men, and early or delayed puberty in children.

The Mayo Clinic Lyme Disease Test is an antibody test to determine if someone has previously contracted Lyme Disease. Antibodies normally persist in the blood for months or even years after the infection is gone.

The clinic will be in Bonnyville from February 28 to March 1, with a initial capacity of 500, CEO Kuzmickas added

The location is to be determined CEO Kuzmickas says and they are still working on a venue with organizers.

“For the vaccinated, the test is an opportunity to see where your antibody titres (strength) are currently at, “CEO Kuzmickas told Lakeland Connect. “On a community level, it offers the chance for a community to demonstrate potential herd immunity just as La Crete did.”

To book your test click here.