Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed in the daily Government coronavirus briefing that they are looking into ‘immunity certificates’ to give to people who have beaten coronavirus Covid-19
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government is planning a “passport” for people who have had coronavirus and beaten the bug.
He revealed the news on Thursday during the daily coronavirus briefing as he confirmed 33,718 people in the UK have tested positive, and 2,921 have now died.
“We are looking at an immunity certificate,” he announced.
“How people who have had the disease have got the antibodies and therefore have the immunity can show that and so get back as much as possible to normal life.
“That is an important thing that we will be doing and are looking at, but it’s too early in the science of the immunity that comes from having the disease that Steve [Medical Director of NHS England, Prof. Steve Powis] spoke about earlier.
“It’s too early in that science to be able to put clarity around that.
“I wish that we could but the reason that we can’t is because the science isn’t yet advanced enough.
“But we have a programme of work on to understand the immunity that you get out of this, which is a global piece of work. And what you then do for people who have had the disease.
“And believe you me I have a very strong, personal interest in this one now that I’ve been through it.”
However, plans for the immunity certificates have been branded “dangerous” and unnecessary by a health expert.
Eleanor Riley, Professor of Immunology and Infectious Disease at the University of Edinburgh, said that such certificates would give people a “sense of false security” about the disease.
“It’s not something that we’ve ever done before. When we vaccinate people, particularly for certain diseases where they’re going to travel overseas… we give people a certificate saying they have been vaccinated,” she said.
“But that certificate doesn’t say they are immune and there’s a difference. We don’t know yet whether somebody who has had this virus is immune.
“They have antibodies, they’ve clearly been exposed, yet will those antibodies protect them against reinfection? I’m not sure that we know that. ” Read more
Also read Pro-Israel Buttigieg backer Seth Klarman is top funder of group behind Iowa’s voting app