First coronavirus antibody test approved in UK is '100% accurate'

Health 11:35 14.05.2020

British Public health leaders have said a new coronavirus antibody test has been found to be 100% accurate as it gains approval for use in the UK, EDNews.net reports citing LBC News.

Public Health England (PHE) said scientific experts at its Porton Down facility had carried out an independent evaluation of the new coronavirus blood test developed by a Swiss pharmaceutical company.

The examination found the serology test from Roche's was "highly specific" and had an accuracy of 100%.

Previously Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called antibody testing a "game-changer" as it could indicate how many people have been infected with Covid-19 and if they have antibodies against it.

The detection of these antibodies could help to indicate if a person has gained immunity against the virus.

Downing Street now wants to get its hands "on as many of these as possible" according to a source reported by The Telegraph.

The blood test detects antibodies in patients who have been exposed to the virus, even if they never developed symptoms. The approval means a mass NHS antibody testing program can now get underway.

Professor John Newton, the national coordinator of the UK Coronavirus Testing Programme, said although it was still unclear to what extent the presence of antibodies indicated immunity to Covid-19, it was a "very positive development".

He added: "We were confident that good quality antibody tests would become available when they were needed.

"Last week, scientific experts at PHE Porton Down carried out an independent evaluation of the new Roche Sars-CoV-2 serology assay in record time, concluding that it is a highly specific assay with specificity of 100%.

"This is a very positive development because such a highly specific antibody test is a very reliable marker of past infection.

"This in turn may indicate some immunity to future infection although the extent to which the presence of antibodies indicates immunity remains unclear."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: "We are exploring the use of antibody testing across the NHS and ultimately the wider public.

"We are delighted that devices are progressing through validation, and are actively working on our plans for rolling out antibody testing and will make announcements in due course."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock last week said the UK was in talks with Roche about a "very large-scale roll-out" of coronavirus antibody testing.

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