Frontline workers to be first in queue for new antibody test

A test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials and is likely to be rolled out to frontline workers first.

Public Health England (PHE) said the antibody test, developed by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, was a “very positive development” after experts at its Porton Down site gave it the green light.

The test, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously called a “gamechanger”, picks up 100% of cases where somebody has had coronavirus in the past.

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.

Professor John Newton, national co-ordinator 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: “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.”

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.

Picture: PA. Professor John Newton.