Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro says the Province will provide a $10 million investment in serology testing for COVID-19.

Shandro says the testing will provide information on how the body interacts with COVID-19 over a longer period of time.

"It detects the presence of antibodies in a person's blood, which can show us if they've been exposed to COVID-19 in the past, and that shows us more about how the virus is spreading, and how best to contain it."

Unlike the swab testing we've seen over the last two months, serology testing will help determine which if individuals previously had the virus without knowing, and may have not been tested due to lack of symptoms.

The distinction between the two forms of testing is one Shandro stressed during the announcement.

"It does not, and I repeat, not, replace swab testing. It doesn't tell us if you're currently sick or if you're contagious, and it doesn't tell us if you're immune to COVID-19, or to what degree, or for how long."

Shandro also announced four upcoming studies that will utilize the testing.

Two will test Calgary and Edmonton children for antibodies twice a year over the course of two years.

The third will see Albertans over the age of 45 tested regularly in order to gauge the number of people exposed to COVID-19, with the fourth study involving the anonymous and random testing of blood collected for other purposes across the province.