Dear Mr Wragg,
While providing evidence to the Committee on 22 September for the inquiry Data Accountability and Transparency: COVID-19, I promised to provide further information on sex differences in antibodies.
On Monday we published our latest analysis on antibodies from the COVID-19 Infection Survey. Blood samples taken between 26 April and 02 September show that females are less likely than males to have ever tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, although the upper confidence interval shows that this difference may be very small.
The NHS blood transfer service are collecting convalescent plasma from individuals who have had the COVID-19 virus, for use in trials looking at possible treatments for COVID-19. The trials are investigating whether convalescent plasma transfusions could improve a COVID-19 patient’s speed of recovery and chances of survival.
Please do let me know if I can help the Committee further with this inquiry.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond