Frontline workers in England first to get new antibody test
FRONTLINE workers in England, including those in the NHS, will be the first to get a new antibody test for Covid-19, England’s deputy chief medical officer said yesterday.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said it was clear that people who had Covid19 generated an antibody response, but it would “take time” to understand whether in all cases people developed immunity against coronavirus.
He said data needed to be gathered over time to understand whether any immune response offered life-long protection or just for a few years.
The development of the test was heralded as a “very positive development” by the chief executive of NHS Wales, who confirmed Wales was “plugged into” UK discussions on the issue.
Public Health England (PHE) has approved a new test from the pharmaceutical giant Roche after experts at its Porton Down facility gave it the green light.
The test, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously called a “game-changer”, picks up 100% of cases where somebody has had coronavirus in the past, and can be used on people who experienced no symptoms.
Prof Van-Tam said the test would be “incredibly important” in the weeks and months ahead, telling the Number 10 press briefing: “I anticipate that it will be rapidly rolled out in the days and weeks to come – as soon as it is practical.
“I also anticipate that the focus will be on the national health service and on carers in the first instance.”
Experts believe those who have had Covid-19 develop a degree of immunity, meaning the test could prove a useful tool for helping to ease lockdown restrictions. Number 10 said the new antibody test would “certainly” be available on the NHS, but commercial discussions with Roche are ongoing.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the idea of an “immunity certificate” was also still under consideration if science showed that people developed immunity to Covid19.
Professor John Newton, national coordinator of the UK Coronavirus Testing Programme, said although it was still unclear to what extent the presence of antibodies indicated immunity, the test was a “very positive development” and the test was a “very reliable marker of past infection”.
He added: “This in turn may indicate some immunity to future infection, although the extent to which the presence of antibodies indicates immunity remains unclear.”
Roche said it could supply hundreds of thousands of the tests each week. The tests run on fully-automated equipment already widely installed by Roche at NHS sites across the UK.
The pharmaceutical firm said it would prioritise tests for distribution via the NHS before looking at how they may be sold to individuals.
Professor Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, said the development of the antibody test was “a good result”.
He told the BBC: “It’s a step in the right direction. In the evolution of these antibody tests, to get one that works really well is a major step forward.”
Sir John said antibodies “stick around probably for a year or two”, adding that the Roche test was the “best approved test available on the market now”.
England’s health minister Edward Argar said the Government intends to roll out the new test to frontline workers first.
Mr Argar told the BBC: “We’re in discussion at the moment with Roche on this.
“It’s only just gone through the Public Health England assessment as being reliable, as doing the job, and therefore we are having those discussions.
“But we are keen to get as many as quickly as we can and get them out, primarily to the front line first, the NHS, social care and then more widely.” Mr Argar stressed that the public could not yet get their hands on the test, saying: “We’re not in a position yet to roll it out to the public and have those tests ready to go.”
When asked yesterday how significant this could be for Wales, chief executive of NHS Wales Dr Andrew Goodall said: “The development of an antibody test would represent a very positive development in our approach to a testing regime. It would be supporting the test, trace and protect strategy and the plan that the First Minister was able to announce yesterday.
“We are plugged into those UK discussions, and I’m sure there will be a positive announcement about this in due course.”
Dr Goodall said: “The test, trace and protect approach means there is an important role for antibody testing.
“Hopefully we can take advantage of a UK deal in place for that if it comes through,” he said.
He added that it’s important people don’t think the test can “guarantee immunity”.