MORE than 60 per cent of adults in Wales are believed to have antibodies to protect them against the coronavirus.

The latest study by the Office for National Statistics shows that 63.2 per cent of adults in Wales have antibodies present.

They took blood samples from almost 1,000 people, and saw that the number with antibodies rises to 90 per cent when you look at over 80s.

The presence of Covid-19 antibodies implies someone has had the infection in the past or has been vaccinated.

It takes between two and 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.

It is not yet known if having antibodies affect the chances of getting Covid again, but they can help stop people being infected again.

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They are a key part of fighting viruses and stopping them from getting inside the body's cells.

Just 38 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds are estimated to have antibodies, an age range who are only recently being called to receive vaccines.

That number rises to 47 per cent for people aged between 35 to 49, and all the way up to 81 per cent for those in their 50s

The latest figures from the ONS also showed a gender gap in antibodies.

Women in Wales are more likely to possess the antibodies for coronavirus than men.

The number for women was 66.4 per cent, while it was just 59.7 per cent for me.

The ONS said that across all four nations there is a clear pattern between vaccination and testing positive for Covid-19 antibodies – but the detection of antibodies alone is not a precise measure of the immunity protection given by vaccination.

Once infected or vaccinated, the length of time antibodies remain at detectable levels in the blood is not fully known.

It is also not yet known how having detectable antibodies, now or at some time in the past, affects the chance of getting Covid-19 again.

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