WHO: No evidence patients can't be re-infected with coronavirus after making a recovery

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned governments against issuing “immunity passports” for people who have tested coronavirus.

The idea of immunity passports was so countries could begin to lift their coronavirus lockdowns to kickstart the economy.

They would be issued to people who have already had the disease and tested positive for antibodies to the virus, based on the assumption they are therefore immune from catching it again.

However WHO said there is “currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection”.

WHO added: “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.’”

There has been reports of patients being re-infected with coronavirus. Credit: AP

There has been reports of patients being re-infected with coronavirus.

Around the world, there has been more than 2.8m cases of coronavirus and more than 200,000 people have died.

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