A very large UK study again finds that IFR (Infection Fatality Ratio) is close to 1% “The overall infection fatality ratio - the proportion of infected people who died - was calculated to be 0.9%, similar to other countries such as Spain.” Drilling down in the actual publication, we see the upper ends of the IFR estimate could be even higher than that. “The estimated community IFR (excluding care homes) was 0.9% (0.86, 0.94), increasing with age and higher in males (1.07%, 1.00, 1.15) than females (0.71%, 0.67, 0.75) (Table 3). Sensitivity analyses indicate an IFR as high as 1.58% (1.51%, 1.65%) if excess rather than COVID-specific deaths are used and care home deaths are included (Table S2).” This is not the flu bro.

To select an antibody test for use in this nation-wide surveillance survey, Imperial researchers assessed 11 different tests for accuracy and ease of use. The team also carried out a large public engagement exercise with more than 14,000 people to improve usability of the tests, called Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs). LFTs are inexpensive and can be taken at home without a healthcare professional, making them well-suited for large-scale population studies where costly laboratory testing isn’t possible.

There are still many unknowns with this new virus, including the extent to which the presence of antibodies offers protection against future infections. Using this finger-prick tests suitable for large scale home testing has given clearest insight yet into the spread of the virus The study has shown that it is possible to do a large scale study with home tests which is an efficient way of improving our understanding.

>"COVID-19 ANTIBODY TESTING - More than 100,000 people across England have tested themselves for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at home as part of a major research programme."