Is there a thing called 'immunity' in today's Coronavirus disease? Can you really be immune once you get to recover from having this virus? The World Health Organization (WHO) officially announces on Friday, Apr. 25, that 'no evidence' of immunity to all COVID-19 recovered patients are still being discussed. Therefore, the organization states that 'herd immunity' is still a theory and not a fact. Here's what we know so far.
Is there really immunity vs. COVID-19? Here's the explanation
In the recent report of Tech Times, WHO officials already clarified that there is still no available evidence proving that immunity to Coronavirus is a factual idea.
The speculations of herd immunity arise when governments around the world suggested giving "immunity passport" to all recovered COVID-19 patients in the hope that they will no longer experience re-infection. However, the agency states otherwise.
"There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection," the agency said in a statement.
But do other doctors share the same belief?
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What doctors think about re-infection?
To answer all the questions regarding Coronavirus herd immunity, CNET recently interviewed Dr. Joseph Vinetz, an expert in general infectious diseases from Yale Medicine. It turns out that not all things that you've read online may be the real fact behind this theory of immunization.
Can you be immune to the virus?
If once you get infected with the virus but then recovered-- are there chances that you are now immune to the disease?
Vinetz said that scientists still do not have enough studies saying that immunity to the virus has its basis. As explained, recovered COVID-19 patients have shown an immune response to the virus. However, this doesn't mean that they are already immune from getting the virus again.
"We don't know that someone [who has had coronavirus and recovered] is resistant to a new infection, or if they have protection how long that protection may last, or if you could carry it [the virus] for some time [after recovery]," said Dr. Vinetz.
Once recovered by the virus, are you still a carrier?
Another major thing that governments have been tackling is whether recovered patients still carry the virus or not. Dr. Vinetz answers this question of "probably not." Since there are still no accurate studies explaining this theory, nothing's for sure.
Thus, the WHO said that "no study had evaluated whether the presence of antibodies to the virus conferred immunity to subsequent infection by the virus in humans."
For now, WHO advised all people always follow the same guidelines of social distancing and proper hygiene etiquette to help flatten the curve.
