Covid: More than 90% of adults in England have some protection against coronavirus - ONS

About nine in 10 adults in the UK are likely to have antibodies against Covid-19 - a slight increase from data estimates two weeks ago.

In England, around 91.9% of adults are estimated to have some protection from coronavirus in the week beginning June 28, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is a small increase from 89.8% in the week beginning June 14.

Wales continues to have the highest levels of coronavirus protection, with 92.6% of adults estimated to have antibodies in their bloodstream. The figure from two weeks ago was 91.8%.

In Northern Ireland, the latest estimate is 90% - up from 87.2%.

Scotland lags slightly behind the other UK nations, with 88.6% of adults thought to have some immunity in the week beginning June 28. However, this is an increase from 84.7% in the week beginning June 14.

The ONS' antibody data estimates, published every two weeks, are based on samples of blood test results. And they are for people in private households and do not include settings such as hospitals and care homes.

The presence of Covid antibodies in someone's blood suggests they have had the infection in the past or received at least one dose of a vaccine.

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It takes two to three weeks after infection or vaccination for the body to make enough antibodies to fight the virus.

Antibodies then remain in the blood at low levels, although these levels can decline over time to the point that tests can no longer detect them.

The ONS data suggests the proportion of adults testing positive for antibodies continues to increase across all regions in England. The estimates for the week beginning June 28 range from 89.5% in the North East to 91.7% in the East Midlands.

Kara Steel, Senior Statistician for the COVID-19 Infection survey said: “We are continuing to see around 9 in 10 adults testing positive for COVID-19 antibodies across the UK.

“As we see the relaxation of restrictions, continuing to monitor how antibody and infection levels change in the coming months through our survey is crucial, so I’d like to thank everyone participating in the study for their ongoing contribution.”