BORIS Johnson must isolate again despite having coronavirus in the spring as “people CAN catch it twice”, Matt Hancock has said.
Mr Johnson had a meeting with Tory MP Lee Anderson who tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend – and will have to spend another 14 days indoors even though he has insisted he is “bursting with antibodies”.
The Health Secretary said today people must self-isolate even if they have already had coronavirus because of the risk of catching it again.
Mr Hancock told BBC Radio 4: “Some people do get it again.
“I’ve had it but I follow all of the rules because people can catch it twice.
“We haven’t yet got the rigorous evidence we need on how likely people are to catch it twice, although we are working very hard on that.
“The Prime Minister is following exactly the same rules as every other person in the country.”
Three more MPs are now self isolating after the meeting at Downing Street.
Brendon Clarke-Smith, MP for Bassetlaw, Andy Carter, MP for Warrington South, and Lia Nici MP for Grimsby both said on Twitter this morning that they are self isolating.
All three have said they are not suffering from any symptoms.
The PM will continue to work from No10 this week and also has no symptoms of the virus which left him hospitalised in April.
In an upbeat video posted to Twitter this morning, Mr Johnson declared himself “bursting with (coronavirus) antibodies” after contracting the virus in April.
“It doesn’t matter that I’m fit as a butcher’s dog, feel great…that I’ve had the disease and I’m bursting with antibodies,” he said
Mr Johnson was snapped standing less then the safe social distance of two metres away from Mr Anderson, but the Health Secretary insisted No10 is “Covid secure”.
When quizzed on the picture, Mr Hancock said: “There’s Covid secure guidelines for Downing Street as there are for every other workplace in the country.
“They had had a meeting for half an hour already, so the Covid secure guidelines are there.”
Experts had been hopeful people had a level of immunity to coronavirus if they had already caught it but the antibodies to the virus could disappear after as little as three months.
A fresh study this month suggested people who had already caught Covid-19 had protection thanks to T-cells which help activity immune cells.
Mr Hancock will step in for the PM and host a coronavirus briefing at Downing Street today.
