Many countries of the world particularly United States, Germany, United Kingdom and Italy are planning to issue an immunity passport for COVID-19. How it would be implemented? Is it a good or a bad idea while we do not know when the COVID-19 pandemic will end?
I think it is a good idea that may cause the wheel of life to return, if only partially, until a specific vaccine for the virus is adopted.
But there are many risks like the false negativity of the test due to the limited participation of antibodies in the immune response, in some cases, or false positive as a result of the presence of six coronaviruses affecting humans, according to WHO. In addition to reporting some countries to the infection of some patients for the second time.
Unless discovery of vaccine/therapy the immunity passport cannot be implemented.
Fouad Yousuf
The problem is the accuracy of antibody testing. They could give you 'false' positive, and let you get your 'immunity passport'. But, you could be a virus carrier but without symptoms. In this case, you can wide-spread the disease to many of your co-workers.
The Covid-19 pandemic is increasingly being used to justify restriction of freedom. The economic cost of the response to the pandemic is mounting. Any further restrictions of freedom of movement must be resisted. The concept of being forced to either get Covid-19 or a vaccination so that you can then be tested for antibodies before being allowed to travel is abhorrent.
There are at least two purely immunobiological problems: The first is concerning the positive and negative specificity of the test, because of the cross-specificity of antibody (particularly when is used monoclonal antibody); the second major reason concerns the neutralizing activity of already synthesized IgG and their ability for preventing the entering of a virus. Don't forget that major effective specific anti-viral immune response is Th1 mediated via CD8+Tlymphocytes!!!
This research provides a scientific basis for immunity certificates (cards/passports). Individual immunity is a resource: It must employed, certified, searched for, found, and it may be actively produced. https://doi.org/10.1111/kykl.12227
ACTIVE VERSUS PASSIVE IMMUNITY AGAINST COVID-19
Then why many researchers will not believe in active immunity induced by recovery from COVID-19 (and immunity passport) but will favour passive immunity induced by convalescent plasma from a COVID-19 recovered patient or by a vaccine?
We will have to return gradually to the life we have had prior to lockdown and quarantine. If the proper means are ensured, allowing for safe and cautious distancing with the necessary protective equipment (masks, gloves) then and in addition to the present negative PCR results we can proceed and travel.
Most of the countries are now realizing that the world has to live with COVID-19 pandemic while waiting for an effective vaccine.
Indeed! Until a vaccine is discovered, we will have to abide by the set precautions by every national and international health organization to protect ourselves and those around from the unknown, invisible COVID-19.
Concept of immunity passport dies down as no protective immunity found after
recovery from COVID-19.
To see why, please read the latest article in the link below:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.13.20130252v1.full.pdf
Immunity passport has again surfaced in to reality after COVID-19 vaccination.
Many countries are issuing a Certificate of completion of full doses of the COVID-19 vaccination to help such people travel.
