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The institution warns governments against issuing “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” to infected people, as their accuracy cannot be guaranteed
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday (25) that currently “there is no evidence” that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second coronavirus infection.
In a scientific briefing, the United Nations agency warned governments not to issue “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” to infected people, as their accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
The practice could, in fact, increase the risks of continued spread of the disease, as people who have recovered may ignore advice on precautions to take against the virus, the organization said.
“Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, could serve as the basis for a ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate’, which would allow individuals to travel or go home, assuming they would be protected from reinfection, “the WHO said.
“There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection,” he added.
Chile announced last week that it would begin distributing “health passports” to people considered recovered from the disease. Once the development of antibodies has been traced to make them immune to the virus, they could immediately return to work.
The WHO said it continues to evaluate the evidence on antibody responses to the virus, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. Around 2.8 million people have already been infected with the new coronavirus worldwide, with more than 200,000 dead.
Most studies show that people who have recovered from infection have antibodies to the virus, according to the WHO. However, some of them have very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in the blood, “suggesting that cellular immunity may also be key to recovery,” the organization concluded.
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