With four Covid-19 vaccines available, and the UK having kicked immunisation early in December, the debate is shifting on health passports. For now, most of the conversation is theoretical and based on speculations, but a health passport could be on our doorstep in no time...
What is a health passport?
A health passport or a health pass is a document which certifies a person is unlikely to catch or spread disease, and it is part of a country's formalities and entry requirements. The proof is usually a record of the vaccine administration date, location, and type of vaccine against a particular disease. For example, if you have travelled to certain countries in Africa or South America, you know that you cannot enter without presenting your International Certificate of Vaccination, which confirms that you have had the Yellow Fever vaccine. In agreement with 196 countries, the World Health Organisation introduced the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis in 2005 in response to an exponential increase in international travel and trade.
With Covid-19, a health passport or pass could attest that the holder has been vaccinated; has a negative PCR Covid-19 test, or has recovered from the disease. And, since we are in 2021, this health passport format is unlikely to look anything like the Yellow Fever booklet you may keep crumpled in between your passport pages. Instead, we would expect a digital version that may not be as easy to forge or lose but will raise questions concerning privacy and data exploitation.
Why launch Covid-19 health passports
A health passport can open up the travel industry again and give us back a glimpse of normality after months spent in lockdowns. Remember, the concerts and matches you used to attend; your crowded office space (that used to distract you from all the work you wanted to get done); dinners with friends inside your favourite local restaurant before heading to a bar or the movies. Proponents of the Covid-19 health passport believe that we could get it all back once the passport is issued to people who have been vaccinated. Besides, a health passport might be the most efficient managing method for international travel under Covid-19.
The cons of health passports
Covid-19 health passports raise privacy, data exploitation, and other ethical and legal concerns. Those of us who use social media accounts and mobile phone applications are familiar with privacy and data exploitation issues. Like technology, vaccines also bring the challenges of social and economic inequalities to the surface. In fact, the British Medical Journal reports that rich countries, with less than 15% of the global population, have secured 51% of the doses of Covid-19 vaccines. With simple maths, we understand that 85% of the world's population has to share the remaining vaccines. So, before talking about a health passport that will open doors to the privileged, we should consider an equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines globally, not just in the affluent parts of the world.
The example of the UK
Currently, the UK's National Health Service issues Covid-19 immunisation records in the form of ID cards to residents who have been vaccinated. Similar to the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, the card states the type of vaccine, batch number, date of administration, and the date of the follow-up dose. The information is also registered on a digital NHS database. The UK is also working on a free mobile application, which will be used by those who have been vaccinated to enter pubs, restaurants, football stadiums, etc. If the pilot proves successful, it may be the omen to health passports — a project that is already receiving hefty government funds.
Dubious immunity passports
In September 2020, Hungary was the first country to introduce the controversial immunity passports. These are certificates of recovery from Covid-19, evidenced by one positive and one negative test — both taken within the past six months. Chile and Iceland were also fond of the immunity passports, despite WHO's strong guidance against them. There is no scientific evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies cannot get infected again. Hence, an immunity passport based on the assumption that a positive Covid-19 test grants immunity may elevate an already intense health crisis due to negligence.
Air travel
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that the contactless Travel Pass app will be available to the world's 290 biggest airlines and their customers from March on. When purchasing their airline tickets, travellers will be able to store their Covid-19 test and vaccine certificates, go through government health requirements, and access a registry of testing and vaccination centres. In parallel, The Commons Project, The World Economic Forum and public and private partners will soon make available the CommonPass app for travellers to register their Covid-19 status including PCR tests and vaccinations to meet country entry requirements. Lufthansa, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Swiss International Airlines, and JetBlue will be the first airlines to request passengers' health data through CommonPass. The aspiration behind both apps or digital health passports is to facilitate travelling and speed up entry processes.
