The entire coronavirus structure is known as an antigen, a foreign substance that engages the immune system.
After weeks of sheltering in place, Americans are asking how soon we can return to a more normal life outside our homes. Much of the answer might be in a test.
Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard and an expert in public health interventions, told the USA TODAY Editorial Board on April 8 that a significant portion of the population must be immune to the coronavirus before social distancing restrictions can be lifted.Public health labs worry 'bad data' could taint U.S. recovery from coronavirus crisis.
Once researchers isolate specific parts of the virus' genetic code, or RNA, they inject it into other types of mammal cells to make those cells grow with the same structure, or outermost shell, as the novel coronavirus. These tests are one of many antibody tests the FDA approved under its Emergency Use Authorization, which means they haven't been thoroughly reviewed by the agency and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
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