WHO says there is no evidence of immunity against antibodies to Covid-19



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“There is still no evidence that people who have had Covid-19 do not get a second infection,” the WHO said in a scientific report published on Friday.

It warns against governments that are considering issuing so-called “immunity passports” to people who have had Covid-19, assuming they are safe to resume normal life.

“At this point in the pandemic, there is not enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee the accuracy of a ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate,'” the WHO said.

WHO Dr Maria Van Kerkhove previously said that it is not known whether people who have been exposed to the virus become completely immune. The new WHO report underscores that stance and mocks with other scientific statements about the idea of ​​developing immunity.

During a briefing on Friday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America warned that not enough is known about antibody tests to assume immunity.

Dr. Mary Hayden, a spokesperson for IDSA and chief of the Infectious Diseases Division of Rush University Medical Center, said: “We do not know if patients who have these antibodies are still at risk for reinfection with Covid-19.” period, I think we should assume that they may be at risk of re-infection. ”

“We don’t know if the antibodies are protective, what degree of protection they provide, so it could be complete, partial, or how long the antibodies last,” Hayden added, “We know that the antibody responses decreased. Hour.”

Society “recommends that people with antibodies do not change their behavior in any way, continue social distancing, etc. And we believe that this is a really important point to emphasize because we are concerned that if this could be present, that these antibodies could be Misunderstood, people could take unnecessary risks, “Hayden said.

CNN’s Amanda Watts contributed to this report.

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