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Pitkin County Public Health Department obtains 1,000 COVID-19 antibody tests for community use in Aspen area

Once validated for accuracy, the antibody test could assess if a person has had COVID-19 and create data related to community spread.

ASPEN, Colo. — The Pitkin County Public Health Department has obtained 1,000 COVID-19 antibody tests, which are expected to determine whether the infection is in a person’s body or has been.

>>VIDEO: Denver scores 2,700 COVID-19 rapid tests for first responders.

“This test will allow us to get the epidemiological data that we’ve been looking for,” Gabe Muething, unified commander for the county’s incident management team and the director of the Aspen Ambulance District, said during a virtual community meeting Thursday afternoon.

Once the tests are validated for accuracy and criteria is established by the public health department’s medical team of whom should be tested, the tests will be given to community members for free.

That could happen within the next week, Muething said. The tests are from the Englewood-based company Aytu Bioscience, which the county contacted last month about ordering the antibodies tests.

>>Continue reading this story at The Aspen Times.

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