Quote from Ndubuisi Ekekwe on April 25, 2020, 3:08 PM

Coronavirus is extremely challenging. CNN reports that WHO has noted that it has not found any evidence that prior exposure and recovery provide any immunity to new infection. Typically, in the vaccine business, they utilize the construct that if one has antibodies to a virus, that could provide a good immunity to new infection. If Covid-19 does not follow that pattern, we are then in trouble. Simply, a new framework of vaccines will have to be created since having a typical vaccine may not help.

Dr. Mary Hayden, spokesperson for IDSA and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rush University Medical Center, said, "We do not know whether or not patients who have these antibodies are still at risk of reinfection with Covid-19. At this point, I think we have to assume that they could be at risk of reinfection."

"We don't know even if the antibodies are protective, what degree of protection they provide, so it could be complete, it could be partial, or how long the antibodies last," Hayden added, "We know that antibody responses wane over time."

The society is "recommending that people with antibodies not change their behavior in any way, continue social distancing etc. And we think that this is a really important point to emphasize because we're concerned that if this could be present, that these antibodies could be misinterpreted, people could put themselves at unnecessary risk," Hayden said