Austin (KXAN) — According to Austin-Travis County’s COVID-19 dashboard, more than 23,000 people in the area have gotten COVID-19 and recovered. But Austin Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott made it clear Wednesday that these 23,000 people shouldn’t throw caution to the wind, just because they’ve already had the virus

People who already got the virus and have recovered likely will have at least some immunity to getting reinfected in the future, Escott explained.

“Evidence is fairly clear right now that there are at least a few months of immunity,” he said. 

However, Escott noted the novel coronavirus is a “young disease” with lots unknown about how it impacts people.

Escott said he is hopeful immunity lasts longer than several months, but we’ve got to be patient for that data to emerge.

He said it is important for people who have recovered from COVID-19 to continue to act “in a protective way,” to continue to wear masks and to social distance.

Escott noted many people’s immune systems respond differently to this virus. He expects there is going to be “variability in the protection people have following COVID-19” in terms of their chances of getting re-infected. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also notes at this time, we don’t know if someone can be reinfected with COVID-19. The CDC says data so far shows that a person who has recovered from COVID-19 may have low levels of the virus in their bodies for up to three months after diagnosis, meaning they may continue to have a positive test result for COVID-19 during that time, even though they are no longer infectious.

The CDC also says there are no confirmed reports to date of someone being re-infected with COVID-19 within three months of their initial infection. More research needs to be done on this, CDC notes.

For now, if someone has recovered from COVID-19 and has new symptoms that could be COVID-19, that person should still isolate and contact a healthcare provider, the CDC says.

“Until we know more, CDC recommends that all people, whether or not they have had COVID-19, continue to take safety measures to avoid becoming infected with COVID-19 (wash hands regularly, stay at least 6 feet away from others whenever possible, and wear masks),” the CDC said.

When are people with COVID-19 infectious?

The CDC says based on available data, people with mild to moderate COVID-19 can be infectious for up to 10 days after their symptom onset. People with more severe illness or immuncompromisation likely remain infectious for as long as 20 days after the start of their symptoms.

This is why the CDC recommends that for most people with COVID-19, they are safe to stop their isolation and precautions 10 days after their symptoms begin and after they have not had a fever for at least 24 hours.

APH Chief Epidemiologist Janet Pinchette noted people who have tested positive can continue to shed the virus even if they are no longer infectious.

Escott said he is hearing of employers in Austin who are requiring employees who test positive for COVID-19 to have two to three negative test results to return to work.

“That’s ridiculous,” he said.

Escott said if you are an employee whose employer is requiring you to have two to three negative test results to return to work, call 3-1-1 so APH can start the process of educating your employer.