Half may be able to fight off effects of Covid

More than half of adults in the UK are now likely to have Covid-19 antibodies, new figures have suggested.

The estimates range from 57.8% of adults in Scotland to 68.3% in England, with 61.0% for Wales and 62.5% for Northern Ireland.

The presence of antibodies implies someone has had the infection in the past or has been vaccinated.

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

Antibodies then stay in the blood at low levels, although these can decline over time to the point tests can no longer detect them.

The latest estimates are based on a sample of blood test results for the week ending April 11.

They reflect the ongoing impact of the vaccine rollout, in particular the increasing number of people who have received both doses and are now fully vaccinated.

Government figures show that by April 11, 32,190,576 first doses of vaccine had been given – the equivalent of 61.1% of adults – along with 7,656,205 second doses (14.5% of adults).

Across all four nations there is a clear pattern between vaccination and testing positive for Covid-19 antibodies – but the detection of antibodies alone is not a precise measure of the immunity protection given by vaccination.

Once infected or vaccinated, the length of time antibodies remain at detectable levels in the blood is not fully known. It is also not yet known how having detectable antibodies, now or at some time in the past, affects the chance of getting Covid-19 again.

The estimates are for private households and do not include hospitals and care homes.