The World Health Organization has said that people who have had Covid-19 are not necessarily immune by the presence of antibodies from getting the virus again.”There is no evidence yet that people who have had Covid-19 will not get a second infection,” WHO said in a scientific brief published Friday.
It cautions 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 an ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate,’ ” WHO said.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove from WHO has previously said it’s not known whether people who have been exposed to the virus become completely immune. The new WHO brief underscores that stance, and jibes with other scientific statements about the idea of developing immunity.
What you need to know
- More than 200,000 deaths worldwide
- The numbers: Covid-19 has infected more than 2.8 million people and killed at least 200,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
- US toll: More than 51,000 people have died in the United State , representing more than a quarter of all deaths worldwide.
- Holy month: Indonesia has temporarily banned domestic travel, as the nation with the world’s biggest Muslim population marks the start of the holy month of Ramadan.
