AROUND 85 per cent of adults in Northern Ireland have Covid-19 antibodies, new figures suggest.
The study found that more than eight in 10 adults in most parts of the UK are now likely to have the antibodies.
In Northern Ireland, the latest estimate is 85.4 per cent, up from 74.2 per cent.
In England, it is 86.6 per cent adults, up from 76.4 per cent a month ago, while in Wales the estimate of 88.7 per cent is up from 76.7 per cent.
For Scotland the estimate is up month on month from 67.5 per cent to 79.1 per cent.
The presence of coronavirus antibodies suggests someone has had the infection in the past or has been vaccinated.
It takes between two and three weeks after infection or vaccination for the body to make enough antibodies to fight the virus. Antibodies then remain in the blood at low levels, although these levels can decline over time to the point that tests can no longer detect them.
The latest estimates are from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and are based on a sample of blood test results for the week beginning June 7.
The estimates are for people in private households and do not include settings such as hospitals and care homes.
The ONS said there is a clear pattern between vaccination and testing positive for Covid-19 antibodies but the detection of antibodies alone is not a precise measure of the immunity protection given by vaccination.
Once infected or vaccinated, the length of time antibodies remain at detectable levels in the blood is not fully known.
It is also not yet known how having detectable antibodies, now or at some time in the past, affects the chance of getting Covid-19 again.
Across England as a whole, the highest percentage of adults testing positive for Covid-19 antibodies was estimated to be the 65 to 69 age group (97.4 per cent), while in Wales it was the 70 to 74 age group (98.4 per cent).
In Scotland. the highest percentage was for people aged 65 to 69 (97.3 per cent).
In Northern Ireland, the ONS uses different age groups due to small sample sizes, and estimates that 95.7 per cent of people aged 70 and over were likely to have tested positive for antibodies in the week beginning June 7.
