First Covid-19 community prevalence testing to begin next month

The first study aimed at establishing how prevalent Covid-19 has been across Irish communities is expected to take place in Dublin and Sligo next month.

The seroprevalence (a measure of the levels of a disease in a population measured by blood samples) study, which analyses people for antibodies which indicate they are either immune or may have had the coronavirus at some stage in the past, is one of the main approaches being taken in order to reopen Ireland on a basis of living alongside the virus - as opposed to its prevention or eradication.