The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to begin a second round of general testing for novel coronavirus antibodies as early as December, targeting a sample of 10,000 people in a bid to trace the history of infections, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
Antibody tests were first conducted in June in Tokyo, Osaka and Miyagi prefectures. This time, the ministry intends to widen the testing area beyond those three in order to grasp how far the infection has spread since the surge that occurred this summer, sources said.
The test checks whether coronavirus antibodies -- which fight off the virus in someone who has been infected -- are present in the blood. The presence of the antibodies reveals a history of infection.
As in the previous test, blood samples will be taken from residents who wish to be tested with the cooperation of local governments.
The previous test was conducted on a total of about 8,000 people in Metropolitan Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture, where there were many cases of infection, and Miyagi Prefecture, where there were few. The rate of people with antibodies was 0.1% in Tokyo, 0.17% in Osaka, and 0.03% in Miyagi.
The new test can help make it possible for health officials to gain a grasp on the percentage of people who have antibodies and are unlikely to be infected. It also is expected to be used to verify that the number of infections detected through PCR testing and other methods reflects the actual situation.
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