Following the concept of “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” which argues that individuals can only contract the Coronavirus once, being peddled as a way of allowing people protected against reinfection to return to work, the World Health Organization, WHO has recanted against the unproven theory as well as proposals for reopening society that is based on this supposed immunity.
WHO is of the opinion that people who assume they are immune to reinfection may ignore public health advice, and such certificates could raise the risks of continued virus transmission.
In a scientific brief dated Friday 24, WHO said the idea that one-time infection can lead to immunity remains unproven and is thus unreliable as a foundation for the next phase of the world's response to the pandemic.
"Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an 'immunity passport' or 'risk-free certificate' that would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are protected against re-infected, the WHO says.
"There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection." the UN health body said in the statement"
The statement is coming days after Chile said it would commence issuing immunity cards that effectively act as passports, allowing travellers to clear security at airports with a document that purportedly shows they have recovered from the virus. Authorities and researchers in other countries including France and the UK have expressed interest in similar ideas. Some officials in the U.S., such as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, have mentioned it as one possible aspect of a reopening strategy.
The WHO added that tests for antibodies of the new coronavirus also “need further validation to determine their accuracy and reliability.”
