Claims of 99% accuracy for UK Covid antibody test ‘cannot be trusted’

Leading scientist calls for findings of rapid finger pricktest research to be made public

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Claims that a rapid Covid-19 antibody test the government hopes to roll out this year is more than 99% accurate cannot be trusted, says a leading expert, calling for the full trial data to be made public.

Jon Deeks, a professor of biostatistics and head of the test evaluation research group at the University of Birmingham, says the data published by Abingdon Health about the performance of its fingerprick antibody test were inadequate. The government hopes to roll out the test to millions of people.