‘Just 2% of people in Wales could have Covid antibodies’ – scientists

BETWEEN 2% and 3% of people in Wales have had coronavirus and developed antibodies, a small study suggests.

Analysis of 1,006 adult samples from the Welsh Blood Service found the likely number of people with antibodies is 2.6%.

Figures from Public Health England indicate that between 13% and 17.4% of people in London have antibodies for Covid-19.

A summary of advice from the Welsh Government’s tactical advisory cell (TAC) said further sampling was needed in Wales. The document was published ahead of changes to the country’s lockdown measures, which come into effect tomorrow.

“There is some data to show that around 2-3% of people living in Wales have had coronavirus and developed antibodies,” the TAC document said.

“This is based on a small sample and we need more people to offer samples through the Welsh Blood Service and wider NHS in Wales in order to get a better picture.

“There is evidence to show that as many as 35% of people who get Covid19 don’t notice any symptoms at all.

“They will still be infectious, and this means that hand washing and social distancing will continue to be very important to break chains of infection.”

It said being outdoors in the sunshine carried a “very low risk” of becoming infected, as long as people stay two metres apart.

Evidence shows that the virus lives for only a few minutes in direct sunlight, though it can survive for many hours on surfaces indoors.

The TAC said children seem to have coronavirus “as much” as adults and can still be infectious, but generally suffer fewer symptoms.

Addressing the issue of indoor and outdoor contact with people, it warned: “Significant changes should not be made to social distancing measures unless a robust contact tracing system is in place.”

It said “strong caution” should be applied to the joining of small households, called “bubbling”, particularly with the release of other lockdown measures.

“We would advise against making too many changes at once,” the document states.

The group says outdoor contact with other households, while maintaining a two-metre distance, would have “no more than a very small impact on overall transmission rates”.

Data suggests that around 70% of people in Wales are complying with social distancing measures.

Of the 4,312 occupied beds in NHS Wales, 8% are confirmed Covid-19 patients and a further 6% are suspected cases. There are 145 patients in ICU beds in Wales, of which 32% are confirmed Covid-19, 9% are suspected cases and 59% are non-Covid cases.