A ‘highly accurate’ COVID-19 antibody test has been given the green-light by public health authorities in the UK.

The test, developed by Swiss giant Roche Diagnostics, has already been handed emergency approval for use in the US.

The company says it has a specificity greater than 99.8% and sensitivity of 100% - meaning it gives no false negative results and only one in 500 false positives.

Public Health England said it had carried out an independent evaluation of the test at its Porton Down facility in Wiltshere – finding it to be “highly specific” with an accuracy of 100%.

The test is designed to determine whether a patient has had COVID-19 by detecting antibodies that are developed in response to the virus.

The Prime Minister of Bavaria, Joachim Eberle, tours the Roche development laboratory to see the new serological antibody test Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, 04-05-2020. Image: Peter Kneffel/DPA/PA Images

Professor John Newton, national co-ordinator of the UK Coronavirus Testing Programme, said: “This is a very positive development because such a highly specific antibody test is a very reliable marker of past infection.”

“This in turn may indicate some immunity to future infection although the extent to which the presence of antibodies indicates immunity remains unclear.”

The Roche Group has previously said the test can provide results in 18 minutes.

It said it believes it can provide “high double-digit millions of tests” to countries that accept the EU’s CE mark within a matter of weeks.

Severin Schwan, chief executive of Roche Group, said: “Thanks to the enormous efforts of our dedicated colleagues we are now able to deliver a high-quality antibody test in high quantities, so we can support healthcare systems around the world with an important tool to better manage the COVID-19 health crisis.”

The Prime Minister of Bavaria, Joachim Eberle, tours the Roche development laboratory to see the new serological antibody test Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, 04-05-2020. Image: Peter Kneffel/DPA/PA Images

Britain’s junior health minister Edward Argar said the test “has the potential to be a game changer” and said authorities were working as fast as they can to lock down a deal.;

Last week, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said officials were int talks with the company about a “very large-scale roll-out” of antibody testing – but admitted there had been “false hopes” with the tests before.

He previously announced plans to order 17.5 million tests from another company, only to find they didn’t work.