More Than 20% of Londoners Have Covid-19 Antibodies, ONS Study Shows

(Bloomberg) -- More than one in five people in London would have tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies in January, according to a new study that highlights how widespread the disease has become in the U.K. capital.

The capital city, which was particularly hard hit during the winter wave of the virus, has the highest rate of positive tests in the whole of England. Nationwide, one in seven likely have the anitbodies, which suggest a person had the infection in the past, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.

• The percentage of people testing positive in London in the 28 days through Jan. 18 was 21%, up from 16% in the period through Dec. 21
• In England the level was 15.3% in January, from 10.7% previously
• The highest percentages of people testing positive for antibodies were people over 80 in England and Scotland, those aged between 16 and 24 years in Wales and those aged between 25 and 69 in Northern Ireland

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