American pop icon Madonna announced via social media on Friday that she has tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, hinting she has immunity against the disease.
However, medical experts said the possession of antibodies is not equal to immunity, Xinhua reported.
Taking to Instagram, the 61-year-old singer, songwriter and actress shared a video on her latest Madame X-themed "Quarantine Diary," in which she said: "I took a test the other day. I found out I have the antibodies."
"So tomorrow I'm just going to go for a long drive in the car ... roll down the window and breathe in the COVID-19 air," she said.
But local media pointed out that the result of antibody tests only meant Madonna was infected by the virus, and current studies have not provided enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee that she would not be infected again.
The World Health Organization has warned that: "as of April 24, 2020, no study has evaluated whether the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) confers immunity to subsequent infection by this virus in humans."
The US Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) also said that "we do not know yet if the antibodies that result from infection with SARS-CoV-2 can protect someone from reinfection with this virus or how long antibodies to the virus will protect someone."
"Until we know more, continue to take steps to protect yourself and others," the CDC added.