The Problem With ‘Immunity Passports’
Some issues to think about when it comes to the strategy of using antibody tests to reopen the economy
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Everyone is waiting for antibody tests to become available. These kinds of tests can tell if someone has been infected with Covid-19 and might have some immunity. It’s helpful for tracking the spread of the virus and doing better contact tracing.
Everyone also wants to know when things will return to normal. Is there a way to combine antibody testing with a plan to get people back to work? One approach that’s been discussed is the concept of so-called “immunity passports.” Basically, the idea is that people could get a test telling them if they’re immune to the coronavirus or not and then receive government-issued approval to go about normal life and back to work. As MIT Technology Review reports, there are efforts in Germany and the U.K. to potentially implement such initiatives. Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the leaders of the U.S. coronavirus response, has also mentioned exploring such a proposal.
There are a few issues with these plans — some biological, some logistical. As the MIT article notes, there’s still so much unknown about immunity to Covid-19. Scientists don’t know whether people definitely become immune to getting the disease again or how long any immunity lasts.
There are also concerns over the quality of the antibody tests available. The FDA is not insisting on approving each test as long as they are validated in some way and the agency is notified.
Lastly, there’s the question of how a system that allows only people with immunity to go back to normal life will work and the risks it could raise. With so many people out of jobs, there may be desperation among some to find a way to get antibodies. Already, as BuzzFeed reports, there are cases of people intentionally going to “coronavirus parties” to get exposed to the virus—a very dangerous idea.
At the same time, such tests could help certain workforces, like health care workers. As suggested in the MIT Technology Review, these tests could — for example — allow hospitals to determine which people might be best to work in the ICU because they are immune.
Here are a few smart reads on the issue.
