Are Vaccine Passports the Answer?

Vaccinations against the dreaded COVID-19 virus have caused hope for a world returning to a sense of “normal” and for the revival of economies that have been brought to their knees by this pandemic. In Namibia, especially the tourism industry is holding its breath and keeping fingers and toes crossed that travel will start to recover from the middle of the year. Many countries, including Namibia, require a negative test result for entry, but this could change to allow entry exclusively to vaccinated individuals. To simplify this process, vaccine passports are widely advocated and such passes could be essential to kickstarting the tourism industry rather sooner than later.

What are vaccine passports?

A vaccination pass (or passport) is a document which proves that an individual has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and shows test results. The biggest advantage would be for easing international travel. The document takes the form of a free mobile app that allows immigration officials to check a passenger’s status at a glance. The reason for going digital instead of issuing paper certificates is to prevent fraud. Covid vaccination certificates and even the vaccinations themselves are already for sale on the darkweb.

Another reason why vaccine passports are being advocated is that they would allow entry into public spaces where close proximity to others cannot be avoided, e.g. restaurants and gyms, or attending concerts and sporting events. There is even talk that schools could require vaccine passports for learners and that employers should make them mandatory for their employees in order to reenter the office. Advocates are hopeful that vaccine passports will in some way return the state of the world to a time before Corona and, more importantly, fully reopen economies.

Various governments including those of the US and EU member countries are busy researching the implementation and usage of these passports. Denmark is heading the rollout plans and intends to introduce digital passes in the next three to four months. The world leader in vaccination rates, Israel, has already launched its own “green passport” that allows holders access to certain places, like hotels, theatres and synagogues.

Airlines, hit extremely hard by the pandemic, have also seen their potential to make air travel easier and recover the industry. Vaccine passports are expected to make travelling safer and give passengers a restful mind knowing that everyone on board has been vaccinated and/or tested negative.

Currently existing apps

IATA, the International Air Transport Association, has developed an app that Etihad Airways and Emirates are said to roll out soon. The app allows passengers to easily share their vaccination dates and test results with airlines. IBM has developed its own app, named Digital Health Pass, which apart from offering similar services for air travel also gives holders access to public locations like sports stadiums or just the workplace. CommonPass was created by the nonprofit Commons Project. Since October 2020 it is internationally in use for COVID test results. Apart from test data it also holds vaccine documentation and has a scannable QR Code with a link to the holder’s information.

The biggest challenge, however, is to standardise an app or platform that is accepted globally, offers legitimate privacy protection and is easily accessible to anyone even where access to smartphones is limited. It is also unclear which vaccines would qualify. To prevent potential chaos, countries will have to agree on which vaccines will be accepted.

Having a vaccine passport is great. What could go wrong?

As simple as the vaccine passport seems, on closer inspection the concept holds potential pitfalls. The biggest being that a vaccine passport does not prove immunity. Vaccinations provide some protection against COVID but are not necessarily 100 percent effective. In addition, it is unclear for how long the protection from the vaccines lasts. Research on whether vaccinated people can still carry and spread the virus is lacking at this early stage. Vaccine passports could lead to a dangerous false sense of security and the potential risk of unknowingly spreading the virus further.

Vaccine passports also have the very real potential to result in inequality and discrimination. Coming from developing countries like Namibia, where access to vaccines is hard to come by, it would make travel to first world countries very difficult if not vaccinated. Even in developed countries, healthy young people may not get their shots for months and thus face restrictions on where they can go in their own city or country. Besides, banning people from entering certain public places and the requirement of carrying a pass hits very close to home for Namibia and South Africa. Furthermore, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions cannot be vaccinated. Should they be discriminated against by not allowing them access to a variety of places and activities? Then there are communities who refuse vaccines for religious or cultural reasons, or individuals who decide against being jabbed because of an informed choice they make.

Privacy issues regarding the security of these apps are a valid concern. Loaded with personal data, these apps are prime targets for hackers or can lead to misuse. Is sharing sensitive information a worthy trade-off for a holiday overseas?

What does the WHO say?

“At the present time, it is WHO’s position that national authorities and conveyance operators should not introduce requirements of proof of COVID-19 vaccination for international travel as a condition for departure or entry, given that there are still critical unknowns regarding the efficacy of vaccination in reducing transmission,” reads a statement released on 5 February. Whether you agree with how the WHO has dealt with the pandemic thus far is entirely up to you. That being said, the organisation clearly appreciates the risks associated with vaccine passports.

What now?

We all want life to return to a sense of pre-pandemic “normalcy” as soon as possible but introducing a vaccine passport too early and without properly addressing all the potential negative effects could be irresponsible. Currently, the world’s state of affairs is fragile enough as it is without introducing a new form of discrimination.

Le Roux van Schalkwyk