ABOUT one in two people in most parts of the UK now have Covid-19 antibodies, new figures suggest.

The latest estimates by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show 50.5 per cent of people in private households in Wales are likely to have tested positive for the antibodies in the week to March 14, along with 54.7 per cent in England, 49.3 per cent in Northern Ireland, and 42.6 per cent in Scotland.

The figures are for people in private households and do not include settings such as hospitals and care homes.

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

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

The figures also show an estimated 79.2 per cent of people aged 80 and over in Wales were likely to have tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies in the week to March 14, while in England the figure was 86 per cent, and in Scotland it is 74 per cent.

Because care home residents were also among the priority groups for the vaccine, the true figure for antibodies among those aged 80 and over may be different, the ONS said.

In Northern Ireland, the ONS uses different age groups due to small sample sizes and estimates 76.4 per cent of people aged 70 and over were likely to have tested positive for antibodies in this period.

Regional estimates range from 60 per cent for North-West England to 50.3 per cent for South-East England.