University Hospital Monklands staff check the medical notes of a COVID-19 patient in February, Photo: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images
The British government announced Sunday that it's launching a national surveillance program to measure antibodies in people who test positive for COVID-19.
Why it matters: The U.K. Health Security Agency said in a statement that its program would improve understanding of immunity and the protection provided by antibodies generated following coronavirus infection and vaccination.
- It would also help in the understanding of reinfection rates and breakthrough virus infections.
- This is the first time antibody tests have been made available to the general public in the United Kingdom.
How it works: The agency said that from this Tuesday, home antibody tests would be available for up to 8,000 people a day across the U.K. for free through the National Health Service's "test and trace" program.
- These would only be available to people who test positive for the virus and opt into the program.