John Bell

Covid-19-antibody-Tests for NHS and care staff rolled out, without a "reasonable valuation", experts warn.

The Tests could be an unnecessary burden on the NHS, the 14 senior scientists say, in a letter,

Last month, the government said that it had bought 10 million antibody Tests and asked NHS trusts and care homes to make available to employees in England.

officials say The Blood Tests , to see if anyone has had The Virus - play an "increasingly important role".

Some patients and people with routine blood Tests that are offered in England, you also.

they usually show if Someone - who has previously has been unwell with a bug, it develops antibodies that provide protection against future bouts of the disease.

But, as the immune system reacts to the Covid-19 Virus remains uncertain.

With the current laboratory Tests , Nhs England says that a positive result indicates a person has coronavirus.

But it is not crucial that prove it, you have immunity against future attacks, or whether they transmit The Virus to others.

Still, health officials say, collecting the results of these Tests Will help you understand more about the spread of the disease.

Public Health in England launched, which includes antibodies and other blood Tests , to learn more about immunity against The Virus .

The Group of scientists say, as a positive result to prove it is capable of immunity, the Tests offer "no benefit" for hospitals and nursing staff.

do not change The results, what are the personal protective equipment employees must wear, for example.

The scientists also suggest that there is little data about how well The Test works for people at the highest Risk , including Ethnic Minorities and older patients.

Instead, they demand that the other carefully designed strategies for monitoring the spread of The Virus .

Prof Sir John Bell of Oxford University, has pointed out, the government on anti-body Tests , said the scientists wrote to the BMJ had underestimated the value of The Test .

"We need to know how many people there are infected Out There and the only way to do this anti-body Test is," he told BBC Radio 4 's Today programme.

But He Said , you were right to say there was not enough evidence that a positive test indicated immunity. "You could not, use it as a way to say to the people, whether they are exposed or not," He Said .

Prof Martin Hibberd, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, described the Tests as an important component of the Public Health response.

He added: "If successful, it generates the data that Will be important monitoring information for the understanding of the effectiveness of the measures in force. "

meanwhile, Dr. Tom Wingfield , of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said he shared the concerns of the academic letter.

He added: "We have sufficient evidence, the accuracy and the interpretation of the antibody Tests . "

a Public Health England official said that all the Tests of the programme was "largely of a review by the manufacturer and have received CE-mark" indicating compliance with EU safety standards.

Wales is currently working on her Test guidelines.

Meanwhile, Scotland's chief medical officer has written to all health boards to say, you should not offer "on-demand" anti - body Test for NHS staff, care staff or patients.

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Source of news: bbc.com