The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency use authorization to a first-of-its-kind T-cell test, which is aimed at detecting previous coronavirus infections.
Currently, antibody tests serve as the primary means for determining whether someone had COVID-19, but accuracy levels vary, and studies have shown antibody levels wane after a few months, which means the timing of the test is key. T-cells, another component of the body's immune system, generally have a longer memory, making them a strong candidate to provide people with a more reliable answer about past infections.
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