The United
Kingdom will from Tuesday offer antibody tests for the general public for the first
time as part of a new programme that will ascertain how much protection people
have after getting infected with COVID-19.

As part of the
programme, the British government will test tens of thousands of adults on a
daily basis, The BBC reported. Anyone aged 18 and above will be able to opt in for
the antibody test while having a PCR test, with up to 8,000 of those who test
positive for COVID set to be given two home antibody tests.

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Health Secretary
Sajid Javid said the test will be quick and easy.

The first
of the two-part finger-prick test will have to be done as soon as possible
after the positive test, so that the body does not have time to generate
antibodies in response to the infection.

The second needs
to be done after 28 days to measure the antibody levels the body generated to
thwart the infection.

Along with
the NHS, the UK Health Security Agency will run the programme alongside test
and trace services in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and will
monitor levels of antibodies in confirmed cases.

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Chief
executive Dr Jenny Harries said the programme will help the UK gain “vital
insight” into how the country’s vaccination campaign has worked so far as well
as the immune responses to different variants.

Javid said it
will build on the “massive wall of defence” that the vaccination campaign has
been and that getting involved will help “strengthen our understanding of COVID-19
as we cautiously return to a more normal life”.

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The Department
of Health said it will not only help improve their understanding of antibody
protection, but also give more information about any groups of people that are
not developing immune responses after getting infected.

Scotland’s Health
Secretary Humza Yousaf welcomed the news, saying “It is vital that we have the
fullest understanding possible of vaccine effectiveness and the immune response
of the broader population.”