.@WHO deletes misleading tweet that spread paranoia about COVID-19 reinfection reason.com/2020/04/26/wor… via @reason
The WHO is correct that scientists have not determined the degree of immunity enjoyed by COVID-19 survivors.
But the tweet version of the brief was missing important context, and it said only this: 
That's technically true: There's no evidence of immunity. But that's because COVID-19 is new and the matter hasn't been conclusively studied yet.
Scientists have good reason to expect COVID-19 survivors to have some immunity to the virus, though they're unsure how strong it will be or how long it will last.
@Bloomberg News reported this story with the headline "WHO Warns You May Catch Coronavirus More Than Once."
@Bloomberg News reported this story with the headline "WHO Warns You May Catch Coronavirus More Than Once."
Here's how the article started:
“Catching Covid-19 once may not protect you from getting it again, according to the World Health Organization, a finding that could jeopardize efforts to allow people to return to work after recovering from the virus.”
“Catching Covid-19 once may not protect you from getting it again, according to the World Health Organization, a finding that could jeopardize efforts to allow people to return to work after recovering from the virus.”
That's just wrong. There is no "finding" to speak of, just an absence of definitive proof that antibodies confer a degree of immunity. Many readers undoubtedly would come away from these statements with a level of anxiety—You can get it again! We're doomed!—that isn't merited.
From parroting the Chinese communist government's lies about COVID-19 to wrongly warning people against wearing masks, the WHO has badly mishandled its communications about the pandemic. The organization really needs to get its act together.
