Some NY grocery stores, including Wegmans, chosen for antibody testing

Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) - Approximately 20 grocery stores across New York state will be serving as sites for antibody tests, including Wegmans.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday the testing will provide a snapshot of the problem with which the state is dealing. The tests will survey 3,000 New York state residents to see who is infected and slowly help them transition back to a more regular everyday lifestyle.

The Wegmans stores chosen by the state will be James Street in Syracuse, Johnson City near Binghamton, Amherst Street in Buffalo, Alberta Drive in Amherst, and East Avenue in Rochester.

At each store, five nurses working for the New York State Department of Health will have a testing site set up to conduct 100-150 antibody tests. Nurses will engage people in the stores and ask for their consent for the antibody test. Both customers and employees are allowed to take the tests, which involve a fingerstick blood sample being obtained.

"It certainly matters because it would perhaps identify those people who are less likely to get sick with this infection because the hope would be the presence of antibodies indicates some degree of immunity," said Dr. Edward Walsh, with the infectious disease division at Rochester Regional Health.

"That would be very helpful information," he added. "It will give you a sense of how many susceptible people are still out there, assuming that an antibody will protect you."

"The testing survey will sample 3,000 people for a population of 19.5 million people and will help determine the percentage of the population that is now immune to the virus, allowing more individuals to safely return to work," said a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Health.

Dr. Walsh says the antibody testing could play a role in the development of a vaccine in the future. He anticipates wide scale antibody testing at places like doctor's offices and pharmacies won't be available for 2-3 months, until more tests and test capabilities are available.

Approximately 100 tests were completed in each Wegmans store on Sunday. Wegmans said it plans to complete another 50 tests per store Monday.

"It is crucial that we all do our part in overcoming this virus and we are pleased to support the state in this important step," said Deana Percassi, director of public relations for Wegmans.

A spokesperson for Tops Friendly Markets said it is not conducting any testing at its stores.

Monroe County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza says the overall infection rate remains low locally right now, and that should continue with social distancing.

Samples will be processed at the Wadsworth Center near Albany using its IgG immunologic test. The state says the test results will come back in 2-3 days.

Lab-confirmed cases only represent a small number of the actual number of cases of COVID-19.