Half have antibodies to fight the virus, new study says

ABOUT ONE in two people in most parts of the UK now have antibodies to fight Covid-19, new figures suggest, which means someone has either had Covid-19 in the past or has been vaccinated.

Some 54.7 per cent of people in private households in England are likely to have tested positive for the antibodies in the week to March 14, along with 50.5 per cent in Wales and 49.3 per cent in Northern Ireland, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The figures do not include settings such as hospitals and care homes.

Regional estimates range from 60.0 per cent for north-west England to 50.3 per cent for southeast England.

It takes between two and three weeks after infection or vaccination for the human body to make enough antibodies to fight Covid-19.

A total of 30.7m people in the UK have now had a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to the latest figures from the Government.

Some 3.8m have received both doses.

The number of first doses reported for March 29 was 236,119 – the lowest daily figure since March 9.

It is likely that the daily number of first doses will continue to fall over the next few weeks, as vaccine supplies are focused on giving second doses to people who had their initial jab in January and early February.

The ONS figures also show 86.0 per cent of people 80 and over in households are likely to have Covid-19 antibodies.

Because care home residents were also among the priority groups for the vaccine, the true figure for antibodies among those aged 80 and over may be different, the ONS said.