The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) backtracked guidelines it released earlier this month claim that people are not immune to coronavirus reinfection after recovering from the disease.
“On August 3, 2020, CDC updated its isolation guide based on the latest science on COVID-19, which shows that people can continue to test positive for up to 3 months after diagnosis and can not infect others. Contrary to current media reports, this science does not imply that a person is immune to reinfection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the next 3 months of infection, “the CDC said in a press release.
“The latest data simply suggest that testing someone within 3 months after initial infection is not necessary unless that person exhibits the symptoms of COVID-19 and the symptoms cannot be associated with another disease,” it added.
The statement marks a reversal of the guidance given by the CDC earlier this month, saying that a person recovering from COVID-19 will likely be safe from reinfection for three months. The previous guidance represented the initial recognition of a defined period of immunity for people who have recovered from the coronavirus.
Previous research has indicated that antibodies that form in people who recover from COVID-19 fade in subsequent months.
The CDC maintained last Friday night that “People with COVID-19 should be isolated for at least 10 days after the onset of symptom and until 24 hours after their fever disappears without the use of fever-reducing medications.”
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