South Nassau Now Offering COVID Antibody Testing At 10 Locations

Alex Costello
Updated ·3 min read

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — New and existing patients of Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside may now access antibody screening blood tests at a number of the hospital’s satellite locations across Nassau County.

These antibody tests are authorized by the FDA and have a high degree of reliability. The presence of COVID-19 antibodies in your system is an indication that you were probably exposed to the virus, even if you did not have any symptoms, and that you may have some degree of immunity to the virus, although this is not proven yet.

Testing is available at the following locations:

  • Mount Sinai Doctors-Baldwin Primary Care, 2280 Grand Ave., Ste 208, Baldwin, (516) 623-4800

  • Mount Sinai Doctors-Bellmore Primary Care, 2750 Merrick Rd., Bellmore, (516) 409-2000

  • Mount Sinai Doctors-Freeport Primary Care, 155 W. Merrick Rd., Ste 101, Freeport, (516) 379-3139

  • Mount Sinai Doctors-1436 Broadway, Hewlett, (516) 360-2962

  • Mount Sinai Doctors-Hewlett Cardiovascular, 1420 Broadway, 2nd Floor, Hewlett, (516) 374-8682

  • Mount Sinai Doctors-Long Beach Cardiology & Primary Care, 325 W. Park Ave., Long Beach, (516) 432-2004

  • Mount Sinai Doctors-Lynbrook Primary Care, 185 Merrick Rd., Ste 1B, Lynbrook, (516) 887-0077

  • Mount Sinai Doctors-Oceanside Primary Care, 2965 Long Beach Rd., Oceanside, (516) 593-8953

  • Mount Sinai Doctors-Oceanside Family Medicine, 196 Merrick Rd., Oceanside, (516) 255-8400

“The results and information gained from antibody testing will help the medical community determine and understand the spread of the virus, establish public health recommendations and reduce the risk for future surges of the virus in our communities,” said Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, chair of the Department of Medicine and chief of Infectious Diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau.

Antibody testing is also used to determine if a patient’s blood is suitable for donating convalescent plasma (a blood product from someone who has recovered from COVID-19). If you have developed antibodies to the virus, you may be eligible to help others by donating antibody-rich plasma at the New York Blood Center, which has established a plasma bank that hospitals can access immediately to treat patients with serious or life-threatening COVID-19 infections.

Known as convalescent plasma therapy, COVID-19 patients are transfused with recovered patients’ antibodies, which helps them fight the virus. South Nassau and other hospitals within the Mount Sinai Health System have been treating patients with this therapy. A single donation of antibodies can be used to treat one to two patients struggling with severe cases of COVID-19.

“Plasma transfusions have long been used to fight epidemics,” said Glatt. “In addition, whether or not an individual agrees to be a donor, testing will help identify that you have developed antibodies to COVID-19, which can be of great personal health benefit.”

Medical researchers also believe that antibody testing could be used to return people with immunity safely to the workforce, regardless of industry or profession. It could also help reduce the rate of COVID-19 infections at nursing homes by staffing them with immune workers.

This article originally appeared on the Long Beach Patch