London:
The UK government on Sunday announced the rollout of a new nationwide antibody surveillance programme, which will make no cost home antibody tests offered for up to 8,000 COVID-positive folks a day.
The UK Health Security Agency will provide these finger-prick tests to support strengthen the understanding of immunity against COVID-19 from vaccination and infection.
Under the scheme, from Tuesday, any individual aged more than 18 will be capable to opt in to take portion when booking a PCR COVID-19 test via NHS Test and Trace program.
“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,” stated UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
“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,” he stated.
The UK Health Security Agency stated it will work alongside NHS Test and Trace testing services in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to monitor levels of antibodies in positive situations across the UK.
The information collected will support estimate the proportion of these who got COVID-19 regardless of building antibodies as a outcome of obtaining a vaccine or previously catching coronavirus.
The initiative could also provide insight into any groups of folks who do not create an immune response.
The UK Health Security Agency stated it will use the information to inform its ongoing strategy to COVID-19 and provide additional insight into the effectiveness of the vaccines against diverse variants.
“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,” stated Dr Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK National Health Security Agency.
“This innovative programme is only possible thanks to the thousands of people who continue to help with studies on vaccine and treatment effectiveness each week. 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,” she stated.
All adults interested in the study will be encouraged to opt in. Anyone taking portion should take their initial antibody test as quickly as achievable following getting a positive PCR outcome, just before the body has had time to create a detectable antibody response to the present infection.
The initial test will establish the level of antibodies a particular person had just before their present infection.
The second test should really be taken 28 days following testing positive for COVID-19 and will measure antibodies generated in response to the infection.
By comparing the two antibody test outcomes, the UK Health Security Agency says it will be capable to see how nicely vaccinated people increase their immunity when they are infected and how this may well differ with diverse variants.
The agency, even so, warned that testing positive for antibodies does not imply an individual is immune from COVID-19 and folks should continue to stick to the guidelines, get tested if they have symptoms and self-isolate if positive or are a make contact with of a positive case and have not received each vaccine doses, to stop the virus from spreading.
“Our testing armoury is stronger than ever now we are rolling out antibody testing to thousands of people in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland alongside the vast testing capacity we have built including our NHS Test and Trace system,” stated Dr Susan Hopkins, Public Health England’s (PHE) COVID-19 Strategic Response Director.
“Antibody testing surveillance shows how health teams across the UK are dedicated to working together to find innovative ways to understand the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and target future treatments for COVID-19,” she stated.
Antibodies are portion of the body’s immune response to support fight off infection and are generated either following getting infected or following vaccination.
Antibody testing appears for proof of this immune response, whereas PCR and antigen testing tells an individual if they have the virus at the time of test.
Antibody testing is aimed at contributing to the understanding of the protection supplied by vaccines, as official figures in the UK show that 87 per cent of folks aged 16 and more than have now received their initial COVID-19 vaccine dose and 76 per cent have had their second dose.