Coronavirus: against WHO advice, Chile to issue ‘release certificates’ to Covid-19 survivors
- Despite lack of evidence, top health official says recovered patients have little chance of contracting disease again for least three months
- World Health Organisation has warned against giving false hope to survivors or those who come in contact with them
Chile’s top health official said on Monday that a patient who had recovered from Covid-19 had little chance of contracting the disease again for least three months, flaunting guidance from World Health Organisation scientists, who warn of scant evidence for such claims.
Chile is preparing this week to roll out some of the world´s first “release certificates” for recovered patients. Health officials say they are not “immunity cards” but have previously suggested they will indicate some degree of resistance to the disease.
Health minister Jaime Manalich said he and UN health agency officials had met and agreed there was no way to guarantee immunity. But he cited data from China and South Korea that point to shorter-term protection for those who survive the disease.
“The probability that a person becomes ill again, or that someone else becomes ill, becomes very remote. How long? A minimum of three months,” Manalich told reporters at a daily briefing.
Manalich, a kidney specialist who once ran one of Chile's top hospitals, said the certificates Chile planned to issue would follow antibody tests and at least help identify those who have already had the disease.
The World Health Organisation said last week there was no evidence to support any claims of immunity and warned against giving false hope to survivors or those who come in contact with them.