
TOKYO: The Japanese government plans to conduct COVID-19 antibody tests on 15,000 people this year, health minister Norihisa Tamura said Friday.
The test will cover 3,000 people aged 20 or older each in Tokyo and Osaka, Miyagi, Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures. Tokyo, Osaka and Miyagi were surveyed in a similar test in June.
Antibodies are special proteins that are produced to protect humans from viruses that have entered the body. By looking for the presence of antibodies, tests reveal a patient’s infection history.
In the June survey, the antibodies detection rate was 0.10 percent in Tokyo, 0.17 percent in Osaka and 0.03 percent in Miyagi.
JIJI Press