Over half in Wales now have Covid antibodies, study suggests

Just over half of Wales’ population now have Covid antibodies, giving them some protection from the virus, a study has suggested.

The presence of coronavirus antibodies suggests someone has either had Covid-19 in the past or has been vaccinated.

50.5% of people in Wales now have the antibodies, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

That compares with 54.7% in England, 49.3% in Scotland and 42.6% in Northern Ireland.

It takes between two and three weeks after infection or vaccination for the human body to make enough antibodies to fight Covid-19.

In Wales, an estimated 79.2% of people aged 80 and over were likely to have tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies in the week to March 14.

The figures also show 86.0% of people aged 80 and over in private households in England, and 74.0% in Scotland.

The latest ONS data also revealed that 7,764 had died with Covid-19 in Wales. It includes all people whose cause of death mentioned Covid-19 on their death certificate.

2,455 deaths of those deaths happened during the first wave of the virus and 5,100 during the ongoing second wave of the virus, with the rest in-between.