Half of People in England likely to Have COVID Antibodies – ONS

Addis Ababa, April 14, 2021 (Walta) – An estimated one in two people in England have antibodies to the coronavirus, according to a sample of the population in the week ending 28 March.

This figure is largely unchanged from the previous two weeks.

Antibodies against COVID can be found in the body after either past infection or somebody had been vaccinated. They are proteins in the blood that recognize specific infections and fight them off.

According to the Office for National Statistics, in England, an estimated 54.9% of the population would have tested positive for antibodies in a blood test in the week ending 28 March,

This number was 49.1% in Wales, 54.5% in Northern Ireland, and 46% in Scotland.

The ONS said the figures varied across regions, with the West Midlands having the highest percentage of antibody positivity in England, and the North East had the lowest.

“There is a clear pattern between vaccination and testing positive for antibodies, however, the detection of antibodies alone is not a precise measure of protection granted by vaccines,” said the ONS.

“It is possible that antibody levels in some people are now too low to be detected by our tests but still high enough to grant a level of protection.”

(Source: BBC)