The results add to scientific doubt about the effectiveness of antibody tests, herd immunity and 'immunity passports'.
on Thursday as he read the results of research which showed that at least 5% of people in the UK have now developed COVID-19 antibodies - and at least 17% of Londoners have them.
But experts are still unsure what level of immunity recovering from the disease provides and how long it lasts. John Edmunds, professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, recently warned studies of other coronaviruses suggest"potentially bad news" for hopes humans could develop long-term immunity.
Despite the scientific concern, Mr Hancock also announced on Thursday that the NHS will roll out coronavirus antibody tests following agreements between the government and pharmaceutical firms Roche and Abbott. However, he acknowledged the overall effectiveness of such tests remains unclear, and that confirmation of their results could take up to 28 days.Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously hailed the"100% accurate" test as a"game-changer" for lifting the lockdown.
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