All residents and employees of an affluent, private Florida island community are being supplied tests to determine if they have been exposed to the novel coronavirus and developed antibodies to the infection. Everyone living and working on Fisher Island, off Miami Beach, is in the process of being tested for the antibodies through serological tests , according to a statement from the community. “Fisher Island is funding the cost of the testing,” which was procured from the University of Miami Health System, the statement said. Fisher Island is a “private luxury community … consistently ranked as one of the wealthiest zip codes in the U.S.,” which also “boasts a beach club with one of the country’s only truly private beaches” and a luxury hotel, according to the club’s website . “The island is home to over 700 prominent families from more than 40 different countries.” “Luxurious” condominiums range in price from $2 million to more than $40 million, the site says . Fisher Island is promoting social distancing measures, encouraging the use of face masks and has closed club amenities like golf courses and tennis courts, according to the statement. The tests are being administered to “further minimize spread on the densely populated island with half of the residents over the age of 60 and at high risk,” the statement said. “The simple blood prick antibody test is used to determine if someone has been exposed to COVID-19 and has developed antibodies to the infection. It is not to be confused with the much rarer nasopharyngeal swab which is the test that detects infection,” the statement said. The antibody tests are not yet widely available and only one has been approved by the FDA for an emergency use authorization . The FDA said in a recent statement that more […]
