Screening for Previous Virus Infection Could Unlock Work Force

Tests that could reveal whether people have already withstood Covid-19 and gained immunity will soon be widely available in the U.S., in what could be a key step in getting workers back to their jobs and restarting the economy.

New blood tests from Henry Schein Inc. and Becton Dickinson Co. look for antibodies produced in the middle to late stages of infection with Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. Determining whether people have been infected could allow them to return to work without fear of passing along the disease or contracting it.

The test from Melville, New ...