Understanding the Covid19 virus is novel, which means new and that scientist and doctors are still learning its behaviour, World Health Organisation has issued a statement calling all nations to monitor situations of discharged patients. The reason for this warning is to not take discard the possibility of these patients getting reinfected and further spread to others.

According to the health body, there is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Although many studies show that people who recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies to the novel coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, the WHO noted, some of these people have very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in their blood.

“As of 24 April 2020, no study has evaluated whether the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 confers immunity to subsequent infection by this virus in humans,” stressed the UN health agency.

Some countries have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the novel coronavirus could serve as the basis for an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate”, which would enable individuals to travel or return to work, assuming that they are protected against re-infection.

However, there is still a lack of sufficient evidence for the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee the accuracy of an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate, the WHO underlined, warning that “the use of such certificates may therefore increase the risks of continued transmission.”

According to the UN agency, laboratory tests that detect antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in people, including rapid immunodiagnostic tests, need further validation to determine their accuracy and reliability Suffice to say those who have been discharged after undergoing treatment for Covid 19 should continue to practice social distancing and all the practices advocated by the health officials.