The World Health Organisation says not all people who recover from the coronavirus have the antibodies to fight a second infection, raising questions as to whether or not patients develop immunity after surviving COVID-19.
The Executive Director of WHO’s emergency programs Dr Mike Ryan says with regards to recovery and then re-infection, they do not have the answers to that adding "That is an unknown”.
WHO’s Lead Scientist on COVID-19 Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said a preliminary study of patients in Shanghai found that some patients had “no detectable antibody response” while others had a very high response.
She says whether the patients that had a strong antibody response were immune to a second infection is “a separate question".
The WHO says there are questions about whether the virus can reactivate after a patient recovers and tests negative for COVID-19.
