The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Saturday that there is no evidence that people who recover from the novel coronavirus after contracting the disease recover are immunized against reinfection.
The global health body disclosed this in a statement amid call for the issuance of “immune passports” by some governments.
The statement read, “There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from #COVID19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection,” WHO said in a statement.
“As of 24 April 2020, no study has evaluated whether the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 confers immunity to subsequent infection by this virus in humans.”
Some governments, wanting a gradual return to work and the resumption of economic activity, have put forward the idea of issuing documents attesting to the immunity of people on the basis of serological tests revealing the presence of antibodies in the blood.
At this point in the pandemic, there is not enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee the accuracy of an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate.”
“People who assume that they are immune to a second infection because they have received a positive test result may ignore public health advice,” the WHO said.
“The use of such certificates may therefore increase the risks of continued transmission.”
