Coronavirus survivors who test positive again are NOT contagious, new study claims

A study by the Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention screened 285 people who had already had Covid-19.

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The patients who had tested positive a second time had come into contact with 790 people, 351 of which had been family members and 439 of which were other members of the public that they may have come into contact with during exercise or shopping trips.

After they had been tested, it was found that there were just three new confirmed cases of the virus of the 790 contacts, meaning that people who catch it for a second time are not thought to be as contagious.

Of those who participated in the study 59.6 per cent of the re-positive cases were tested for screening, regardless of symptoms.

This is while just 44.7 per cent of re-positive cases had symptoms such as coughs and sore throats.

So far in the UK over 35,000 people have died because of the coronavirus and 323,000 have died globally.

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The new research could help lift lockdown restrictions as it showed that people are not contagious if they catch the virus for a second time and therefore cannot spread the virus within the community.

The stated: “There were three newly confirmed cases from the 790 contacts of re-positive cases. Other than their exposure to the re-positive cases during their respective re-positive period, all of the three newly confirmed cases had history of contact with Shincheonji religious group or a confirmed case in their family”.

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When discussing the protocols for managing new cases the researchers said that the 14 day isolation period was “not needed”.

The results of the study mean that South Korean's who catch the virus for a second time will not have to be tested again before returning to work or school.

As lockdowns across the world continue to take a toll on the economy, the research could help push forward initiatives such as "immunity passports" for those who are known to not be contagious.

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Despite this the World Health Organization has advised against such measures and said: "Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an 'immunity passport' or 'risk-free certificate' that would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are protected against re-infection,' the WHO said in a statement.

"There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection."