Dear Members of the Lakewood kehillah and beyond,

COVID-19 has impacted us in unprecedented ways, bringing illness and death along with paralysis of community life. Antibody testing is now available and many in our community have had antibody testing done. Antibody testing can help us identify those who have had COVID-19 illness whose blood plasma may be useful to help treat sick patients.

The antibody test is a blood test that is different than the nasal swab test that is done to confirm an active COVID-19 infection. We urge everyone in our community to know that although antibody testing may have benefit in the future, the antibody test has several serious limitations.

PLEASE NOTE:

• The presence of antibodies DOES NOT necessarily mean that you are immune to the COVID-19 virus.
• The presence of antibodies DOES NOT mean that you are no longer contagious.
• In addition, it may be possible to become re-infected with COVID-19 after all of the symptoms have gone away. There are multiple reports around the world of patients testing negative for the virus and then, at a later date, coming down with COVID-19 illness again.
• Studies are now investigating the question of who is immune to the COVID-19 virus and therefore, will not get the illness again, but it is not yet known who is immune.
• An antibody test that shows that you have antibodies is not a license of any sort to reduce COVID-19 precautions or social distancing. A person with antibodies may not be immune and may still be contagious.

If you have a special situation, please contact your physician for guidance.

We hope that Hashem will end this mageifa soon. In the interim, we await further research and medical guidance on how to reduce the restrictions and social distancing. May we merit to see the end of this pandemic soon and be able to join together as a community.

Daniel Roth MD, Howard Lebowitz MD, Reuven Shanik MD, Jonathan Cohen MD, Allen Lempel MD, Dovid Friedman MD, Dovid Ogun MD, Daniel Lapidus MD, Micah May MD, Shalom Aharon Fenster MD, Yaacov Zamel MD, Neal Gittleman MD, Mordechai Tarlow MD, Baruch Kassover MD, Lawrence Shoner MD, Yisrael Kadosh MD, Jeffrey Kaminetzky MD, Hillel Peltz DO. Dr. Shimshi Zimmerman, Medical Director of Hatzolah of Central Jersey.

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