How to book an antibody test in Glasgow
A UK-wide antibody testing programme will be rolled out to the general public for the first time this week, the government has announced.
What’s happening? The programme is being launched in a bid to improve understanding of the antibody protection provided by both vaccination and previous coronavirus infection.
What is an antibody test? An antibody test checks for evidence of antibodies in the blood post Covid-19 infection, which the body generates to help fight off the disease.
Those who have coronavirus antibodies in their blood will likely have had the virus before, even if they did not experience any notable symptoms.
It is not yet clear how long antibodies last and if they can prevent being infected with the virus again.
How to get an antibody test in Glasgow: From Tuesday (24 August), anyone over the age of 18 in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland can opt in to the antibody testing programme when receiving a PCR Covid-19 test. You can opt in for a test even if you’ve been vaccinated.
You can get a free antibody test if you:
- did a PCR test for COVID-19 and had a positive result
- work in primary care, social care or education
- are taking part in research
Up to 8,000 people who test positive for coronavirus will be enrolled in the programme, which is run by the UK Health Security Agency alongside NHS Test and Trace.
Those who are selected will be sent two finger prick antibody tests to complete at home and send back for analysis.
The first test must be taken as soon as possible after the positive PCR result so that the body does not have time to generate a detectable antibody response to the infection.
Participants should then take the second test 28 days later to measure the level of antibodies that have been generated.