Fauci: Coronavirus immunity cards for Americans are

‘being discussed’
The proposal, already being implemented by German researchers, is under
consideration in the United Kingdom and Italy.04/10/2020 09:15 AM EDT
Updated: 04/10/2020 01:22 PM EDT
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Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
revealed Friday the federal government is considering issuing Americans certificates of
immunity from the coronavirus, as the Trump administration works to better identify
those who have been infected and restart the U.S. economy in the coming weeks.

“You know, that’s possible,” Fauci told CNN’s “New Day,” when asked whether he could
imagine a time when people across the country carry such forms of identification.

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“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,” he said. “This is something that’s being
discussed. I think it might actually have some merit, under certain circumstances.”
The proposal is contingent upon the widespread deployment of antibody tests which the
National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration are in the process
of validating in the the U.S., Fauci said.

“Within a period of a week or so, we’re going to have a rather large number of tests that
are available” to the public, he added.

The development of a comprehensive antibody testing system represents the next phase
of the administration’s efforts to reopen the country and begin reintegrating essential
workers such as health care providers and first responders back into society.
Although coronavirus testing thus far has been able to determine if an individual has an
active infection, antibody tests report whether an asymptomatic person was previously
infected but has since recovered, potentially allowing them to return to their jobs.

“As we look forward, as we get to the point of at least considering opening up the
country, as it were, it’s very important to appreciate and to understand how much that
virus has penetrated the society,” Fauci said.

Immunity certificates are already being implemented by researchers in Germany and

have been floated by the United Kingdom and Italy, the most recent epicenter of the
global outbreak in Europe.
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In parts of China, citizens are required to display colored codes on their smartphones
indicating their contagion risk. The controversial surveillance measure facilitated the
end of the lockdown earlier this week of Wuhan, the city in China’s central province of
Hubei where the novel coronavirus first emerged.

Asked Thursday about various methods of monitoring Americans who have come into
contact with those who are infected, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, said “people are looking at all the different modern
technology that could be brought to bear to make contact tracing more efficient and
effective.”

“Are there more, if you will, say, tech-savvy ways to be more comprehensive in contact
tracing versus the old-fashioned way? You know, currently, these things are under
aggressive evaluation,” Redfield told NPR.