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The Government will launch a new follow-up study of Covid-19 in the population to try to understand the current infection rate and how many people have developed antibodies against the virus.
Some 20,000 households in England are contacted to participate in the first wave of the investigation, with initial findings expected in early May.
All participants will provide a nose and throat swab to determine if they currently have the virus or not, while adults in about 1,000 of the homes will provide a blood sample to find out what proportion of the population has developed antibodies to Covid-19.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which is leading the study with the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said the participants will form a representative sample of the UK population by age and geography.
Those selected will provide samples taken from self-administered nose and throat swabs and answer some brief questions during a home visit by a trained healthcare professional.
Swab tests will show whether participants currently have the virus or not.
They will be asked to do more tests every week for the first five weeks, then every month for a year.
In total, the Government says that some 25,000 people will participate in the pilot phase with plans to extend it to around 300,000 in the next 12 months.
Scientists will also analyze blood samples from adults in about 1,000 homes to determine how many people have developed antibodies to the virus.
Antibody testing is considered crucial to provide a way out of the current blockade and also to provide data to those who develop a vaccine.
England medical director Professor Chris Whitty said at Wednesday’s Downing Street daily briefing that there is currently no evidence available that Public Health England (PHE) is confident enough.
Scientists at the University of Oxford are in the process of validating an antibody test, also known as the Elisa test, to be used in this study.
According to Professor Derrick Crook, who is among those coordinating the work program at Oxford, they are on track to have a “fully validated and accreditation-compliant test.
DHSC and ONS will use this laboratory test in the study, but Professor Crook said there is the ability to process more than 20,000 tests a day in case there is such a high demand for tests.
Antibody test participants will be asked to give more samples monthly for the next 12 months.
The government says that nose and throat samples will be taken from all participating households, whether their members are reporting symptoms or not.
Blood samples will not be taken for antibody tests in homes where someone has symptoms of Covid-19 or is self-isolating or protecting.
The study will include the University of Oxford, the data science company IQVIA UK and the National Center for Biosmplemple in Milton Keynes.
DHSC said healthcare workers will take the recommended precautions to protect themselves and everyone in the home from contracting the virus, and that the IQVIA nurse will perform the tests at the participant’s home.
Although the results of the hyssop test will be given to participants through their GP, a letter seen by the PA news agency says that those who participate in the antibody test will not receive their results.
Unidentified blood samples will be sent to the University of Oxford to test for antibodies, while infection test samples will be sent to the UK Biocenter.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This survey will help track the current extent of transmission and infection in the UK, while answering crucial questions about immunity as we continue to build our understanding of this new virus. .
Together, these results will help us better understand the spread of the virus to date, predict the future course and inform future actions we will take, including crucially developing new tests and innovative treatments. “
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