Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and
development of coronavirus disease 2019 presents a major
health care challenge of global dimensions. Laboratory
diagnostics of infected patients, and the assessment of immunity
against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,
presents a major cornerstone in handling the pandemic.
Currently, there is an increase in demand for antibody testing
and a large number of tests are already marketed or are in the
late stage of development. However, the interpretation of test
results depends on many variables and factors, including
sensitivity, specificity, potential cross-reactivity and
cross-protectivity, the diagnostic value of antibodies of different
isotypes, and the use of antibody testing in identification of
acutely ill patients or in epidemiological settings. In this article
the recently established COVID-19 Task Force of the German
Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
(DGKL) addresses these issues on the basis of currently
available data sets in this rapidly moving field. (J Allergy Clin
Immunol 2020;146:35-43.)