Mayo Clinic Healthcare is to offer a serology test in the UK to identify whether someone has been infected  with and now has antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,

The serology test will be offered in combination with a respiratory sample test known as a PCR test, typically collected through a nasal swab and used to find out if someone is actively infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The test samples will be collected at Mayo Clinic Healthcare on Portland Place in London and flown to Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester, Minnesota, for processing; results are expected within 72 hours. The cost for the two tests is £350.

“Serology testing is a critical component of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and making this test available as broadly as possible is our priority,” said William Morice, president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories. “We are seeing enormous demand for reliable, evidence-based COVID-19 testing.”

Mayo is pairing the serology test with the nasal swab test because the two tests together are the best option available right now, says Kevin Fleming, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic Healthcare.

“The serology test tells you if you have had it, and the nasal swab test tells you if you currently have it,” Fleming said however virologists are currently unsure whether the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 confer immunity from contracting Covid-19

Mayo will initially make the tests available to employers trying to assess COVID-19 exposure among employees, and to existing Mayo patients. Mayo is working to make the tests more widely available as soon as possible Fleming said.