The warning comes as some governments consider 'immunity passports' for people who have recovered from the coronavirus, allowing them to travel or return to work.
have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 could serve as a so-called “immunity passport” that would allow people who have recovered from the coronavirus to travel or to return to work, under the assumption that they are protected against re-infection.
But the WHO said there simply haven't been enough studies to guarantee the accuracy of an “immunity passport," and that people who assume that they are immune to another coronavirus infection may ignore public health advice, such as social distancing. Antibody tests are also prone to false negatives and false positives, the WHO noted, allowing people who erroneously believe they do not have the coronavirus to potentially infect others, and vice versa. The tests must also accurately distinguish between past infections from SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and other coronaviruses, such as those that cause the cold.
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