Society

0.4% positive rate in SoftBank Group antibody test

Jun 10 (NHK) - Japanese business giant SoftBank Group found about 0.4 percent of people tested positive for coronavirus antibodies in a survey it conducted. Having antibodies means that the person has contracted the virus in the past.

The group released the preliminary results of the survey in a live-streamed event on Tuesday.

It conducted 44,066 tests on its employees, business partners and healthcare workers between mid-May and Monday.

It says 191 people, or 0.43 percent tested positive. The positive rate among 5,850 healthcare workers was 1.79 percent, while that for the rest was 0.23 percent.

Antibody tests are deemed not very accurate and it remains unknown whether people with antibodies can be infected with the coronavirus again.

But the tests are believed to be useful in giving an idea of how far the virus has spread in a community.

Ohmagari Norio of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine said in the event that the top priority is to enable people showing symptoms to get tested for the virus swiftly to prepare for a possible second wave of infection.

The Japanese health ministry has started antibody tests on about 10,000 people.

Ishiba Shigeru elected LDP leader

Ishiba Shigeru has been elected leader of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The former LDP Secretary-General is now virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister. (NHK)

Hakamada Case Ends With Acquittal After 58 Years

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Japan launches information-gathering satellite on H2A rocket

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New Red Lights for Japan's Police Cars

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Over 300 New Geoglyphs Discovered by Yamagata University in Nazca

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