Half of England Population Estimated to Have Covid Antibodies

(Bloomberg) -- More than half of the population of England was estimated to have Covid-19 antibodies in the week ended March 14, illustrating the impact of the U.K.’s vaccination program.

Some 54.7% of people would have tested positive for antibodies against the coronavirus during the week, suggesting they have been exposed to the virus causing the disease in the past or have been vaccinated, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday.

The figures are a boost for Prime Ministers Boris Johnson’s government as it begins to ease lockdown restrictions in place since early January. More than 30 million people, or around 57% of the adult population of the U.K., has now received a first dose of a vaccine.

In Wales, the percentage of people estimated to have antibodies was 50.5%. The figures for Northern Ireland and Scotland were 49.3% and 42.6%.

The data show a reduction in antibody positivity rates among older individuals during the most recent days in the period analyzed.

“This is likely because of people in these prioritize age groups having received their first vaccine dose but not yet their second dose,” the ONS said. “This does not necessarily mean they have no immunity protection against coronavirus.”

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