COVID antibody testing programme to be rolled out across the UK
An antibody testing programme for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 is to be launched across the UK.
The government’s new programme is intended to produce data on antibody protections for people following infection by different coronavirus variants.
From Tuesday, anyone aged 18 or over in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, will be able to opt in to the programme when receiving a PCR test.
If a participant tests positive for COVID-19 then they will be sent two finger prick antibody tests to complete at home and send back for analysis.
The first of these tests should be taken as soon as possible after the patient receives their positive result, and the second should be taken 28 days later.
Up to 8,000 people will be rolled in the programme, according the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which is running it.
Finger-prick tests are required to check antibody levels
UKHSA, working alongside NHS Test and Trace, will use the results to monitor antibody levels in positive cases.
According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the programme will be the first time antibody tests have been made available to the general public.
The scheme could help DHSC build up information on groups of people who don’t develop an immune response after vaccination or infection.
The data could be used to “inform the ongoing approach to the pandemic and give further insight into the effectiveness of vaccines on new variants,” DHSC said.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the programme will build on the “massive wall of defence” that is the UK vaccination programme.
“Our new national antibody testing will be quick and easy to take part in [and by] doing so you’ll be helping strengthen our understanding of COVID-19 as we cautiously return to a more normal life,” he said.
“I’m proud to see all parts of the UK uniting around this new initiative and working together to arm ourselves with even more valuable insights into how COVID-19 vaccines are protecting people up and down the UK.”
It is important that the antibody test is taken as soon as possible so that the body hasn’t yet had the chance to generate a detectable antibody response to the infection.
The second test, taken 28 days later, will measure antibodies generated in response to the infection.
UKHSA’s chief executive Dr Jenny Harries said: “We are rolling out antibody testing across the UK to gain vital data into the impact of our vaccination programme and on immune responses to different variants of COVID-19.
“This has been made possible thanks to the incredible British public who continue to come forward for testing when they develop symptoms and the millions of people who have had their jabs.
“The best way to protect yourself and those around you is by getting vaccinated. I encourage anyone who has not yet come forward to book their first and second jabs.”
A man’s body has been recovered from an area of flooding in North Yorkshire, police have said, as major incidents have been declared in two counties.
The body was found near Intake Lane in Beal, close to Eggborough and Knottingley.
Police believe the man may have entered the water in the last 24 to 48 hours.
Follow the latest on the weather
North Yorkshire Police said: “Despite extensive enquiries, including with our colleagues in Humberside and West Yorkshire Police, we have been unable to identify him.
“He was found without any identification or personal belongings.”
The man was also described as white, in his early 50s to 60s, with light brown short hair and stubble.
He was wearing brown walking boots, blue denim jeans, a multicoloured knitted jumper and possibly a dark green waterproof coat, police added.
It comes after Leicestershire and Lincolnshire both declared a major incident in response to the extreme weather hitting the UK and Ireland.
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Leicestershire Fire and Rescue was the first emergency service in England to declare an incident and said it had received more than 200 calls since Monday morning over widespread flooding.
Crews had found cars stuck in floodwater and evacuated residents from flooded homes and rising waters, with some 17 people rescued as of 1.45pm.
The Lincolnshire Resilience Forum declared a major incident shortly after, and noted that emergency services had rescued children who were stranded at a school in Edenham.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has three yellow weather warnings – each for snow and ice – in effect throughout Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
Pic: Met Office
A warning covering the west and north coast of Scotland – reaching into Inverness and Aberdeen – will last until midday, while an alert in effect for all of Northern Ireland will last until 11am.
The Met Office has also issued a warning covering Wales and parts of northwest England on Monday evening, moving into southwest England, the Midlands and parts of southern England in the early hours of Tuesday.
On Wednesday, a yellow weather warning for snow is in effect across the south of England – stretching from just above Truro in Cornwall to Canterbury in Kent – from 9am to midnight.
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