NEWPORT, Ky. — With the omicron variant looming and holidays approaching, a lot of people are doing whatever they can to ensure they’re keeping themselves and their family safe.

Dr. Majors Badgett said a lot more people have been coming into Ethos Laboratories in Newport as of late to get tested for the virus.

“Obviously we’ve seen a lot more people come in to get tested, and obviously around the holidays it’s very important to be able to get that testing so you know your status,” Badgett said. “We saw after Thanksgiving pretty much a doubling of our percent positive rate."

Ethos does a wide range of lab tests, but pivoted to focusing on COVID-19 testing early on during the pandemic. Badgett is an assistant laboratory director and clinical consultant.

He said Ethos has been on the forefront of the evolution of testing, from rapid antibody to rapid antigen, to what he calls the “gold standard,” PCR, which is now very simple for people to apply themselves.

Badgett said he expects another increase in testing after people gather with their families at Christmas.

He said people should do it safely, know their status and follow the CDC guidelines. One development Badgett said he thinks is going to be a game changer, that’s done at Ethos, is true immune testing.

It’s a blood test that neutralizes antibodies in a semi-quantitative fashion.

“We’re looking at neutralizing antibodies that are the right kind. They basically bind to the virus, inhibit them from invading the cell, replicating, and destroying your immune system,” Badgett said. “So that you can say hey, do you have the right antibodies, and at what level?”

Badgett said they've been doing about 200 samples per day, a jump from around 100 per day not too long ago.