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WHO official warns against pinning all hopes on natural immunity

19 March 2021 20:54 (UTC +04:00)

The World Health Organization’s Representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic has said in an interview with TASS that people should not pin all their hopes on the so-called natural immunity against COVID-19, APA reports citing TASS.

She noted that some people, in particular, the younger generation, had mainly mild forms of the disease or had no symptoms at all. "That does not mean that there is no infection. It goes away at the first level, this nonspecific immunity is triggered at once. That does not mean, however, that this person cannot be taken ill when exposed a a high dose of the virus," she said. "This immunity that remains after that almost asymptomatic infection is insufficient. That means that a person can fall ill again and again. So, you should not rely on natural immunity."

When asked whether some people have immunity against COVID-19, the WHO official said, "The myth is based on physiology. That means that a person has already been exposed to the virus. It all depends on the quantities of the virus."

Vujnovic explained that it was possible to help the immune system fight all respiratory viruses by complying with personal hygiene rules and taking vitamins. "They boost our immune system indeed. Our immunity is what it is," she added.

However, the coronavirus situation is such that the older a person is the more severe the clinical picture of the disease can be, she went on to say. Nevertheless, the rest should not relax, the WHO official warned. "Even if you do not have a clinical picture, the virus is still dividing in your cells, nasopharynx. The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets to another person, and someone else may get infected from you. And then there will be consequences for not just one person," Vujnovic concluded.