The Government’s head of coronavirus testing says he doesn’t expect antibody tests to start before the end of April. It means none of the 100,000 tests a day promised by Health Secretary Matt Hancock by the end of the month will be antibody tests.
Antibody tests determine whether a patient has had the Covid-19 virus - and potentially show whether they have immunity. The tests currently being performed are antigen tests - which only show whether the patient currently has the virus.
Developing a working antibody test could be crucial to allowing those who have already had the coronavirus to return to work, and working towards ending the national lockdown.