
WHO Deletes Misleading Tweet That Spread Paranoia About Covid-19 Reinfection - mrfusion
https://reason.com/2020/04/26/world-health-organization-tweet-coronavirus-covid-19-antibodies/
======
capableweb
Sounds like the only misleading happening here was peoples understanding of
how science works. Just because something is not confirmed doesn't mean it's
not true.

Tweet reportedly said:

> There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from #COVID19
> and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.

How can they then write that the tweet is misleading? Bloomberg News et al
that reported "WHO Warns You May Catch Coronavirus More Than Once" and similar
should be the ones shamed for misinformation here, not WHO.

~~~
fingerlocks
I was under the (possibly mistaken) impression that having antibodies for a
virus does in fact protect you from the virus. Like it's baked into the
definition of "antibody". That's why it sounds a bit misleading to me.

But I have Biology 101 level of knowledge, so I'm curious to learn why it's
not misleading.

~~~
gus_massa
It will protect for the exact strain of the virus and similar strains for some
time. Probably the reports that people is reinfected a few weeks after they
get cured are wrong. It is not clear how long will last the immunity.

For example the vaccine against tetanus must be taken again every 10 years,
other vaccines protect you forever.

~~~
fingerlocks
So yeah, the tweet is misleading..?

~~~
gus_massa
Disclaimer: I'm not a virologist and not even a medical doctor.

From a previous thread, I remember that someone said that with other
coronavirus the protection last a few months. Let's hope that this strain
produces a longer immunity.

------
dopylitty
Experts need to stop beginning sentences with the phrase “there is no evidence
that” to encourage or discourage behavior.

When you’re dealing with a novel disease there’s not much randomized
controlled evidence of anything so the best you can do is guess how situations
work.

Rather than saying “there’s no evidence that” previous infection leads to
immunity they could say “there are known diseases where recovery does not
confer permanent immunity so don’t rely on that when creating policy”

Rather than say “there’s no evidence” that people have caught covid by
touching their groceries and then touching their faces they could say “covid
appears to spread by droplets and you should clean anything which might have
come in contact with such droplets or wash your hands after every time you
touch such things”

------
aaron695
The media's behaviour in all this has been a disgrace.

WHO should have known better and their lack of media awareness is a problem.

But we need to hold the media accountable. I in someways hope they never
recover, they seem too broken.

This is also seen in world leaders from all countries saying something and the
media putting it in headlines as a true statement. As thought the leader of X
knows the expected death toll with accuracy?

This was also seen in the media not asking the most basic questions in January
or February. They are supposed to be our 4th Estate

[edit] Honestly, Fox reported this current WHO snafu best just quickly looking
at the 3 headlines from CNN, BBC, Fox -

[https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/25/us/who-immunity-
antibodie...](https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/25/us/who-immunity-antibodies-
covid-19/index.html)
[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52425825](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52425825)
[https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-immunity-not-
assu...](https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-immunity-not-assured-
after-infection-who-says-imperiling-passport-idea)

~~~
lern_too_spel
The New York Times (via Reuters) covered it correctly.
[https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/04/25/world/americas/25...](https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/04/25/world/americas/25reuters-
health-coronavirus-who.html)

The Washington Post also covered it correctly:
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/04/25/coronavirus-...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/04/25/coronavirus-
latest-news/)

All three of your articles also reported it correctly.

Even the Bloomberg article was correct except for a single word ("finding").
This looks like a tempest in a teapot to me.

~~~
aaron695
Those two headlines are not reported correctly.

I don't know if you are being obtuse or don't understand the issue.

We have know since last century Coronavirus's can reinfect you.

Since January we have discussed how long C19 might give immunity.

So for WHO/media to put out a headline like they have they must have collated
or found new information that breaks us from our current beliefs.

They have not.

~~~
lern_too_spel
The two headlines are exactly what the WHO said, so of course they are
reported correctly.

> So for WHO/media to put out a headline like they have they must have
> collated or found new information that breaks us from our current beliefs.

The statement comes in the context of member states implementing immunity
passport programs, not in the context of having new information, which is
neither stated nor implied.

------
Leary
When the British government was choosing to go down the herd immunity path, it
was the WHO that warned against that approach. It is not as if the WHO has no
value.

------
lern_too_spel
Funnily enough, the geniuses at Reason made the same mistake in
[https://reason.com/2020/04/25/no-poison-control-calls-
arent-...](https://reason.com/2020/04/25/no-poison-control-calls-arent-
suddenly-spiking-after-trumps-disinfectant-comments/). There is no data on
poison control calls after March, which means there is no evidence that poison
control calls have spiked since Trump's press conference. That doesn't mean
that poison control calls haven't spiked since the press conference.

