A new program that includes antibody testing will be made available to the UK public. It is part of which a top scientist believes could lead to targeted booster vaccines for those most in need.
As part of a government program, thousands of adults will be tested every day. This is to determine how much natural immunity people have to coronavirus. Anyone over 18 years old can opt in to a PCR test starting Tuesday. Up to 8,000 recipients will receive two antibody tests home if they are positive.
According to the government, Sunday saw 32,253 positive cases in the last 24 hours and 49 deaths.
Two finger-prick antibodies tests will be sent to people for them to complete at home. The first test must be completed as soon as possible following a positive result. The second must be done 28 days later.
Francois Balloux is the director of UCL Genetics Institute. He said that the study will provide important data. I don't like the idea of giving boosters to anyone, regardless of their age or health. It is not necessary at this point.
I find it very clever to give boosters based on whether or not there are antibodies. People often ask me if I should get a booster. He said that it was reasonable to give boosters for those who don't have enough antibodies. However, some people can still be protected against Covid even without antibodies.
Balloux stated that boosters for all people were not a good idea, but targeted ones could still be implemented. He said that the new program would provide important information and give an idea of reinfection.
He said that at the moment, we don't know how many reinfections there are.
Dr Muhammad Munir from Lancaster University is a virologist who stated that the main purpose of administering antibody tests was to determine if antibodies are protective against other strains of the virus. People who ask for tests should not assume they won't be infected again if they test positive for antibodies. He said that it cannot guarantee that you won't get Covid again or infect others.
Munir and Balloux agreed that the data could be used to determine who needs boosters. Although people would be sampled before it was decided if they needed a booster, that is not the main objective of the research.
You are more likely to be protected from severe diseases by having antibodies for Covid-19, but it is still possible to spread the virus. It takes time for antibodies to form. Although most people develop antibodies within 28 days after being infected, it is possible for some to take longer.
According to the Department of Health and Social Care, this will be the first time that antibody tests are made available to the public. The scheme could also give insight into those people who don't develop an immune response.
These data will be used as a guideline for the ongoing pandemic response and to provide further insights into the effectiveness of new vaccines.
This announcement is made amid ongoing debate about the UK's rollout of booster jabs.
Sajid Javid said that he believes a booster vaccination campaign can begin next month, despite reports from experts saying they need more time to assess whether they are necessary.
