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Immunity certificates for Covid-19 'likely to be possible', say scientists

A man holding a Covid-19 test - iStockphoto
A man holding a Covid-19 test - iStockphoto
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..

Immunity certificates which exempt people from tier restrictions and social distancing are feasible, government scientists have concluded, after finding people are protected for at least three months after infection.

Nadhim Zahawi, the new vaccine minister has said that the government is ‘looking at the technology’ to allow some kind of ‘vaccine passport’ and hinted that some venues would not allow people in without confirmation they had been immunised.

Michael Gove said there were no plans to introduce immunity certificates but a new report released on Friday suggests that scientists are broadly supportive of the idea, believing there is now enough evidence to show that people are protected for several months.

On Friday, the Government Office for Science released a report from the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), which feeds into Sage.

The scientists said that Britain was now approaching a time when a significant number of people had been infected and may have some immunity that protects them from subsequent exposure.

They said the ‘new context’ had led them to re-examine the concept of immunity certificates for people who had recovered from an infection or been given an effective vaccine ‘for a period of time from current non-pharmaceutical interventions designed to control the spread.’

They conclude that: “Some form of Covid-19 immunity certification is likely to be possible but further data and considerations are needed before a recommendation can be made.”

Current evidence shows that antibodies can be detected in virtually everyone who has been infected with coronavirus, appearing about a week after the onset of symptoms. They then decline to a quite stable level which shows little evidence of further decline over five or six months, the report states, and points out there have been very few reinfections.

“Based on the variability in the data and differential responses in the population we conservatively estimate that a protective immune response after  infection or vaccination may last for 90 days,” the scientists conclude.

“Within one month of natural infection, a high proportion of people will develop immunity which is protective against disease caused by reinfection. This protection is likely to persist for at least three months.

“Some individuals will not develop immunity following either natural infection or vaccination. The proportion is unknown but it is likely to be small.”

On Tuesday, Michael Gove has said there are no plans to introduce a ‘vaccine passport’ which would give people access to places such as pubs and restaurants once a coronavirus jab becomes available.

It is expected that the government will only consider vaccine passports when the jab is available to the wider population.