Covid: Positive antibody tests doubled since autumn - BBC News

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About one in 10 people across the UK tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies in December, roughly double the October figure, data has shown.

Estimates from the Office for National Statistics suggest between 8% of people in Northern Ireland and 12% of people in England showed signs of past Covid infection.

In October, antibody positivity ranged from 2% to 7% around the UK.

And 6,586 Covid deaths were registered in the UK in the week to 8 January.

That brings the total registered so far close to 96,000.

Yorkshire and the Humber led the chart with 17% of people having positive antibodies.

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But Scotland had a considerably smaller growth in antibodies than the rest of the UK, rising from 7% to 9% of the population.

In December:

• One in eight (12%) people in England had antibodies, up from 7%
• One in 10 (10%) people in Wales had antibodies, up from 4%
• One in 11 (9%) people in Scotland had antibodies, up from 7%
• One in 13 (8%) people in Northern Ireland had antibodies, up from 2%

Antibodies are proteins in the blood which fight off specific infections.

They are developed if somebody catches an infection, their body fights it off, or they have been vaccinated.

The fact that more people show signs of having at least some protection against Covid-19 is consistent with the dramatic rise in infections during that period.

But we know that antibodies from natural infection can fade.

In England, the ONS said, positive antibody tests equated to 5.4 million people aged over 16 having signs of past infection.

That does not tell you the total number of people infected, however, but acts as a snapshot in time.

In London, about 16% of people had antibodies in December, up from 11% in October. But at the last peak in May, an estimated 15% of the population had antibodies. This proportion fell, as detectable antibodies recede with time.

Exactly what this means for someone's likelihood to become infected again, however, is not fully known.

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2021-01-19 11:46:00Z
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