Antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2: key information
Information for healthcare workers on the types of coronavirus (COVID-19) antibody tests available and how to interpret results.
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People are increasingly accessing antibody testing, either through surveillance activities, private providers or directly through government-supported services.
This guidance is intended to assist healthcare workers in:
- interpreting results
- discussions with patients regarding antibody testing, vaccination, infection and risk
It is not intended to direct clinical care but should provide guidance to professionals.
The guidance outlines that:
- the presence of detectable circulating antibodies will almost certainly result in a mitigation of disease severity on exposure to virus, but antibody status alone cannot be used to confidently assure against protection from infection
- over 99% of people generate antibodies after a full schedule of vaccination and this response is anticipated to remain detectable for at least 10 months. Waning mechanics are not fully understood and vary between individuals
- waning of antibodies below detectable range over time will likely not result in loss of protection from severe disease, but infections are highly likely to be possible
- different variants are more likely to evade any protection afforded by previous infection by another variant or by vaccination but disease severity is still likely to be mitigated
Updates to this page
Last updated 4 April 2022 + show all updates
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Updated 'Antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2: key information'.
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Updated to add a link to 'Extended information for medical professionals and researchers on using and interpreting SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests'.
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Updated to reflect formation of UKHSA, changed duration of antibody kinetics and protection due to new evidence and updated use-cases for antibody testing.
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First published.