Research suggests that emerging information about infection-acquired COVID-19 immunity should be interpreted with caution. The introduction of “immunity passports” that would enable people who have recovered from COVID-19 to travel freely and return to work may therefore have detrimental consequences if not managed carefully. In two studies, we examined how perceived (suspected or imagined) recovery from COVID-19, and the concept of immunity passports, influence people’s intentions to engage in behaviors aimed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We also consider ways to lessen potential negative effects. In Study 1 (N = 1604), participants asked to imagine that they had recovered from COVID-19 reported lower social distancing intentions compared to a control condition. Participants who suspected (versus imagined) that they had recovered from past infection did not report lower preventative intentions compared to the control condition, even at high levels of certainty of past infection. In Study 2 (N = 1732), introducing the idea of immunity passports also reduced social distancing intentions compared to a control condition. The latter effect was, however, attenuated when cautious information about the equivocal science on COVID-19 was also presented to participants. Participants who suspected that they had COVID-19 in the past (compared to the control condition) revealed a similar pattern of results, but only at higher levels of certainty of past infection. Caution regarding infection-acquired COVID-19 immunity and immunity passports will be crucial in the COVID-19 response. Implications for premature pandemic announcements, as well as their potential remedies, are discussed.

中文翻译：

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呼吁对感染获得的 COVID-19 免疫保持谨慎：“免疫护照”的潜在意外影响以及如何减轻这些影响

研究表明，应谨慎解释有关感染获得性 COVID-19 免疫力的新信息。因此，如果不谨慎管理，引入“免疫护照”将使从 COVID-19 中康复的人能够自由旅行并重返工作岗位，可能会产生不利后果。在两项研究中，我们检查了感知（怀疑或想象）从 COVID-19 中恢复，以及免疫护照的概念如何影响人们从事旨在减少 COVID-19 传播的行为的意图。我们还考虑减少潜在负面影响的方法。在研究 1 ( N = 1604），参与者要求想象他们已经从 COVID-19 中恢复过来，与控制条件相比，他们报告的社交距离意图较低。与控制条件相比，怀疑（与想象）他们已经从过去感染中恢复的参与者并没有报告较低的预防意图，即使在过去感染的确定性很高的情况下也是如此。在研究 2 ( N = 1732），与控制条件相比，引入豁免护照的概念也减少了社会疏远意图。然而，当也向参与者提供有关 COVID-19 模棱两可科学的谨慎信息时，后一种影响减弱了。怀疑他们过去感染过 COVID-19 的参与者（与对照组相比）显示了类似的结果模式，但只是在过去感染的确定性更高的情况下。对感染获得的 COVID-19 免疫和免疫护照的谨慎在 COVID-19 响应中至关重要。讨论了过早宣布大流行的影响及其潜在的补救措施。