'Immunity' Cards Are Being Considered

Tests to determine whether someone had the coronavirus should be more widely available in about a week, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Friday. Assuming the antibody tests clear final checks for accuracy, a "rather large number of tests" should be ready to go soon, he said. The FDA fast-tracked the tests to help the US get a better handle on the coronavirus spread. Assuming widespread antibody testing does indeed get underway soon, Fauci said it's possible that Americans who test positive for them could receive some kind of documentation to show they have already had the disease.

"I mean, it's one of those things that we talk about when we want to make sure that we know who the vulnerable people are and not," said Fauci. "This is something that's being discussed. I think it might actually have some merit, under certain circumstances." The idea is under consideration elsewhere around the world, including in Germany, the UK, and Italy, reports Politico. However, the Week has a skeptical post, noting that "the history of 'papers, please' is not exactly a shining beacon of freedom." Plus, there's much we don't know about COVID-19, including whether those who recover remain immune over the long term. (More coronavirus stories.)