WHO warns against idea of ‘immunity passports’

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BERLIN — The World Health Organization is cautioning against the idea of “immunity passports.” It says there is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected against a second infection.

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The concept of “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” has been floated as a way of allowing people protected against reinfection to return to work.

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But the Geneva-based U.N. health agency says in a scientific brief released Saturday that more research is needed. It says that “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.’”

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It argues 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.

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WHO adds that tests for antibodies of the new coronavirus also “need further validation to determine their accuracy and reliability.”

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