While the world is grappling with the Coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a scientific brief suggesting the countries to not issue an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate” to the patients who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease. In the brief issued on April 24, the WHO has particularly specified that there is no evidence that "people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection."
This development has come to light after countries such as Chile and Germany were exploring the prospects of issuing immunity passports to citizens who have recovered from the disease, thereby exempting them from lockdown-quarantine measures and allowing them to travel. According to a March 2020 report in The Guardian, researchers in Germany conducted a mass study into the number of people who are immune to the COVID-19 disease in order to get the key workers who have recovered from the virus back into the workforce.
However, through the advisory, the health agency has warned the world governments against the use of 'risk-free certificate' and 'immunity passport', adding that they can increase the risks of continued transmission since people can ignore public health advice in such circumstances.
"People who assume that they are immune to a second infection because they have received a positive test result may ignore public health advice," the WHO suggested.
It is important to note here that some people across the world have tested positive for the again after recovering from the disease. For instance, in South Korea, more than 200 recovered people were readmitted to the hospital after testing positive for the COVID-19 again earlier in April. Reports also emerged from China - where the Coronavirus disease first appeared in December 2019 - that some recovered patients tested positive again for the virus and were hospitalized. Such cases baffled scientists and medical experts as the fear of Coronavirus reactivation and reinfection surged. Some experts believe it depends on the functioning of an individual's immune system.
The World Health Organisation is also investigating the reports of patients who have tested positive again, however, no favorable conclusions have been derived from the studies. The international health agency has also clarified that as of April 24, no study has been able to evaluate if the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 can lead to immunity to subsequent infection by this virus, adding that it is continuing to review the evidence of antibody responses to the COVID-19 infections.
Meanwhile, the number of Coronavirus confirmed cases have surged to 2.97 million globally and the infection has taken the lives of more than 200,000 people worldwide.
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