Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how long it will take on average for an individual to receive back the results of their covid-19 antibody test.

The Government is backing efforts to develop a home-use antibody test. These tests are designed to detect if people have had the virus and developed antibodies and could potentially be done at home with a finger prick and deliver results in as little as 25 minutes.

Lab-based antibody tests are currently available to National Health Service and care staff, as well as hospital patients and care residents. The time it takes to receive a result in hospitals and care homes will depend on a number of factors and will therefore vary from patient to patient.