With reports that recovered coronavirus patients are getting re-infected, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday urged health authorities to test recovered patients for antibodies to know whether they have developed immunity.
“Patients who recover are getting infected with the virusagain,” said DAK President, Dr Nisar ul Hassan. He said while recovery rate waspromising, it does not mean that those who have been infected with the viruswere not still at risk. “Having the virus once does not mean you can’t get sickfrom it again,” he said. “Not all people who recover from coronavirus have theantibodies to fight a second infection.”
Dr Hassan said this raises concern that patients survivingCOVID19 do not develop immunity to prevent re-infection. “The low amounts ofantibodies could affect herd immunity which is the resistance to the diseaseamong general population to stop its spread,” he said.