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It is possible that more than 19 million Britons have already been infected with coronaviruses and have improved, according to scientists.
Experts from the University of Manchester revealed the figures, as health chiefs approved a “game changer” with 100% accurate antibody monitoring that would show who has already had the virus.
Test coordinator Professor John Newton said: “This is a very positive development.”
The tests will be implemented in the coming weeks and could pave the way for the closure.
Hopes were rising last night that a new coronavirus antibody test could pave the way for the end of the blockade and return to work for millions of Britons.
Health chiefs approved a control developed by Swiss drug giant Roche that is 100% accurate in detecting those who have had the disease, which may have given them immunity.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam said frontline NHS and care workers will have access to checks first, which will be implemented “in the days and weeks to come.”
And the potential “game changer” came when scientists from the University of Manchester claimed that more than 19 million people may have already been infected and recovered.
Health experts at the University of Washington also predict the UK was on track to have its first day without Covid-19 deaths on July 30 and that the number would drop to less than 100 by June 14.
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But it was revealed that of the 233,151 people who tested positive in the UK since the outbreak began, around 148,000 were found to have had the virus in the past two weeks, during the shutdown.
As the mortality rate recorded yesterday increased by 428 to 33,614, UK National coronavirus testing program
Coordinating Professor John Newton said: “This is a very positive development because such a highly specific antibody test is a very reliable marker of past infection.
“This in turn may indicate some immunity to future infections, although the extent to which the presence of antibodies indicates immunity remains unclear.”
Boris Johnson previously called antibody testing a “game changer.”
And praising the advance, the prime minister’s spokesman said yesterday: “We still have to work to understand its full potential, but this is clearly an important step forward and continues to have the potential to change the game, as the prime minister set out. “
Oxford University professor of medicine Sir John Bell added: “It is a step in the right direction. In the evolution of these antibody tests, getting one that works really well is a big step forward.”
He also said that the antibodies “probably stay for a year or two,” adding that the Roche test was the “best approved test available on the market now.”
A quarter of Covid-19 patients who died in English hospitals since March 31, when pre-existing conditions began to be reported, had diabetes, according to the NHS England.
Of the 22,332 patients who died, 26% were diabetic, 18% had dementia, and 15% had chronic lung disease.
The Bureau of National Statistics said that 148,000 people in England had coronaviruses between April 27 and May 10, the equivalent of 0.27% of the population.
The estimate is based on swab tests conducted on 10,705 people in 5,276 households, but does not include people in hospitals or nursing homes where the ONS said infection rates are likely to be higher.
The effect of the coronavirus on the health service in general was revealed, as the figures showed 900,000 A&E assists in April, 57% less than the 2.1 million the previous year.
NHS England, which released the figures, said the drop “is likely the result of Covid-19’s response.”
Experts fear that some patients who need treatment will stay away for fear of mounting additional pressure on the health service or contracting coronavirus in hospital.
Emergency admissions fell sharply last month, 39% from 535,226 in April 2019 to 326,581.
Former president of the Society for Acute Medicine, Dr. Nick Scriven, described the fall as “a major concern.”
He added: “This is a time bomb in itself and will be exacerbated by a myriad of other pressures in the coming weeks.”
Cancer referrals fell 8%, and GPs in England obtained 181,873 in March 2020, down from 198,418 in 2019. Urgent referrals for breast cancer showed a larger drop, from 17,137 in March 2019 to 12,411 this year, a drop of 28%.
Admissions for all routine hospital surgeries in March totaled 207,754, compared to 305,356 in 2019.
As workers across the country began yesterday to return to factories, construction sites and call centers, unions warned that extensive testing should be done and that PPE should be used before the NHS was released. fully open.
Unison’s Sara Gorton warned: “As hospitals become busier and clinics begin to reopen, the safety of staff and patients is paramount. But this cannot happen without abundant supplies of EPP.
“Tackling Covid has been a huge challenge, but this next phase will also be a crucial test.”
But NHS chief vendor Chris Hopson said the trusts still face “significant problems” in the tests.
He added: “The trusts tell us that they cannot guarantee sufficient, reliable and consistent access in a timely manner to the evidence they need.”
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