Can I get the new coronavirus antibody test?

A test to determine whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials and will be rolled out across the country from next week.

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche and American rival Abbott Laboratories have each developed a test which can tell whether somebody has ever had the coronavirus.

It involves taking a small sample of blood and testing it for antibodies which will indicate exposure to coronavirus.

Public Health England (PHE) has evaluated and approved them as being safe and reliable for widespread use.

Here we answer the key questions surrounding the new test:

- How reliable is it?

Very. The test picks up 100 per cent of people who have had coronavirus.

This means it has 100 per cent sensitivity.

It also has a specificity of at least 99.8 per cent, meaning there is only very small room for tests to come back as false positive.

- What if I've never had any symptoms of Covid-19?

It doesn't matter.

Experts believe a proportion of people who have had Covid-19 never actually develop symptoms.

The new test can identify people who have had coronavirus even if they have never had any indication they are infected.

- If the test shows I've had Covid-19, am I now immune from it?

At present, the science is inconclusive as to whether a positive test result for antibodies means a person is immune to Covid-19, or whether or not they can be re-infected with the virus, or pass it on. Research is ongoing to learn the answers to these questions.

Experts believe that while the presence of antibodies indicates a level of immunity, it is unclear whether people are completely protected and how long any immunity lasts.

There has been some suggestion that immunity could last for two to three years but more work needs to be done.

In the meantime, if someone tests positive, they will still need to follow social distancing measures and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

- Who can have the new test?

Ten million tests will be rolled out in a phased manner over the coming months, with England's health and care staff, patients and care residents first in line.