London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 13, 2025

NHS England official cautions against buying antibody tests

People in England have been cautioned against using coronavirus antibody tests being sold by some retailers.

NHS England's medical director Prof Stephen Powis said experts were "evaluating" antibody tests, which show if someone has already had the virus.

Such tests are not yet available through the NHS, but some are being sold commercially.

"I would caution against using any tests... without knowing quite how good those tests are," said Prof Powis.

Currently, the coronavirus tests available to all adults and children aged over five are swab tests - taking a swab up the nose or from the back of the throat. These tests tell you if you currently have Covid-19.

A second type of test - the antibody test - is a blood test that looks for antibodies in the blood to see whether a person has had the virus.

Health officials in England have already approved an antibody test. There is no date for when it will be rolled out, but Health Secretary Matt Hancock said earlier this week the government was in "the closing stages of commercial negotiations".

On Wednesday, Superdrug became the latest business - and first high street retailer - to offer the antibody test. The kit costs £69 and buyers need to take a blood sample at home, which is sent off to a lab for testing.


Questions over immunity

Speaking at the No 10 daily briefing on Wednesday, Prof Powis said: "Public Health England have been evaluating the new antibody tests, the commercial tests that are becoming available."

But he added: "I would caution against using any tests that might be made available without knowing quite how good those tests are... I would caution people against being tempted to have those tests."

Setting out some of the uncertainties around the commercial tests, Prof Powis said: "Once you have the virus, the body's immune system develops antibodies against it and it's those antibodies that are detected typically a number of weeks after you've had the virus.

"What we don't absolutely know at the moment is whether having antibodies and having the antibodies that are tested in those tests means that you won't get the virus again.

"So I wouldn't want people to think just because you test positive for the antibody that it necessarily means that you can do something different in terms of social distancing, in the way you behave.

"Because until we are absolutely sure about the relationship between the positive antibody test and immunity, I think we as scientists would say we need to tread cautiously going further forward."

Superdrug said it was "confident" in the accuracy and reliability of the test, which it said has a sensitivity of 97.5%. That means it will detect positive antibodies 97.5% of the time, so there is a chance a negative result may be wrong.

There is a variation in the accuracy of tests. A test developed by scientists in Scotland and Switzerland had a 99.8% accuracy rate for giving a positive result.

Dr Colin Butler, from the University of Lincoln, said the commercial tests "should give a good indication" of whether an individual has been infected with Covid-19.

But he added: "Whilst this may be an indication of functional immunity, confirmation of this is awaited from large scale studies presently under way. Until it is, individuals should not assume they are fully immune to further infection."

The World Health Organization says there is no evidence people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from being infected again.

The new coronavirus, called Sars-CoV-2, has not been around long enough to know how long immunity lasts, but there are six other human coronaviruses that can give a clue.

Four produce the symptoms of the common cold and immunity is short-lived. In two coronaviruses - the ones that cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) antibodies have been detected a few years later.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
×