Coronavirus: '100% accurate' antibody test developed by company based in West Sussex

Thursday, 14 May 2020 16:49

A new antibody test being reported as '100% accurate' has been developed by a company based in Burgess Hill. Swiss multinational healthcare company, Roche, have reportedly developed two diagnostic tests to help identify patients who have, or have had, Covid-19. Sky reported that Public Health England (PHE) already carried out an evaluation of the new blood test and found that it was 'highly specific' and had an accuracy of 100%. Professor John Newton, national co-ordinator of the UK Coronavirus Testing Programme, told Sky: "This is a very positive development because such a highly specific antibody test is a very reliable marker of past infection. "The company said they are collaborating with public health bodies to validate their new antibody test. "This in turn may indicate some immunity to future infection although the extent to which the presence of antibodies indicates immunity remains unclear." They are aiming for a phased roll-out across the UK from mid-May. The company said they formed a parnership with the UK Government to help the NHS scale up clinical testing for coronavirus across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Officials said 13 laboratories have gone live with the new Roche Diagnostics test across the UK and Ireland since March 28, with more to come. More Radio is continuously dedicated to providing a quality news service on-air and online, reporting local stories that matter across Sussex.If you found this story useful, then check out our home page at moreradio.online where you can find the latest from the county, along with features and competitions from our presenters, as well as listening to the station live. You can also sign up to our news alerts to receive updates on new stories. Simply click on the bell at the bottom right of the home page. This will then allow a pop-up which will ask if you would like to receive alerts. Press ‘allow’ and you’re all signed up!You can also follow us on Facebook and on Twitter.