Dear BEA Community:
BEA School District will not be accepting antibody testing as a means of not quarantining if determined to be a close contact to a covid positive person. Close contacts will need to quarantine for 10 days after a known exposure to a covid-19 positive person. Students have the option to get a covid test on day 5 of exposure and return on day 8 with a negative covid test submitted to the school nurse.
According to the PA Department of Health quarantine recommendations, an antibody test should not be used to diagnose a current infection with SARS-CoV-2. It is possible that a person’s positive antibody result is from antibodies which resulted from an infection with a different virus in the coronavirus family. Other coronaviruses cannot produce a positive result on a viral test for SARS-CoV-2. For this reason, use of antibody tests to determine immunity need to be used with caution. Regardless of whether an antibody test is positive or negative, the results do not confirm whether the patient is able to spread SARS-CoV-2. The patient should continue to take steps to protect themselves and others which means quarantining for 10 days after a known exposure to a covid positive person.
Sincerely,
Scott V. Graham, Superintendent
Cindi Stanton, Middle/High School Nurse
Lauryn Bostdorf, Elementary Nurse