Covid-19 vaccine ‘Passports’ raises ethical concerns, logical hurdles

In Israel, a vaccine passport was launched last week allowing those in need to go to hotels and gyms. Saudi Arabia is now issuing an app-based health passport for those who are stranded, while the Icelandic government is issuing vaccine licenses to make overseas travel possible. Last month, President Biden issued executive orders calling on government agencies to assess the feasibility of creating digital Covid-19 vaccine certificates.

Proponents of the plan say it will allow recessionary economies to reopen, even if vaccines are still being implemented, allowing people to enjoy their hobbies and go to work. safe with the knowledge that they are not harming others or endangering themselves. It could also be an incentive for people to get the bullet.

But the concept may be fraught with difficulties. It could discriminate against minority communities, who, according to national studies, are less likely to receive the vaccines, or young people, who are less likely to be given priority for uptake. There are questions about the ethics of giving businesses access to people’s health records.

“The thing behind all this is, why are you going to use it? ”Said Melinda Mills, director of the Leverhulme Center for Demographic Science at Oxford University. “Is it for international travel? Does he want to get a job? Want to buy milk? ”

Some health authorities are concerned that vaccine licenses could lead to false positives. For example, it is unclear whether vaccines prevent people from becoming infected and spreading the disease and whether inoculations are administered as effectively as mutations of the virus. Scientists are racing for answers to these questions.

In the European Union, leaders at a prestigious conference on Thursday agreed to come up with an electronic vaccination certificate within three months that can work across the bloc. But divisions are still beyond what a certificate could use. Some, such as Austria and Greece, want it to be a form of passport allowing those who have been vaccinated to travel.

Others, including France, Belgium and the Netherlands, are more relaxed. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday night that he does not want young people to be discriminated against, who will not be vaccinated for now.

The World Health Organization has set up a working group to look at how best to create a digital vaccine certificate.

Israel and the UK, two major countries with advanced immunization programs, are at the forefront of the debate. The UK is aiming to vaccinate all adults by the end of July. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that a review of immune certificates will be completed by mid-June.

Israel on Saturday afternoon began issuing so-called “green permits” that allow vaccinated people to enter gyms, concerts and hotels. Later, the passes will be used at restaurants and bars, when they reopen in the coming weeks.

Officials have described the green licenses as important tools in their efforts to promote vaccination. To date, 50% of the Israeli population has received at least one vaccine photo.

The green permits are available on the ministry of health website or on a mobile app and have a bar code and individual identification number.

The project is not without controversy. Although vaccines in Israel are not authorized, parliament on Wednesday passed a law that would allow the county’s health ministry to identify unvaccinated people to local authorities. Those who are not vaccinated may need to be tested frequently.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said he was considering proposing legislation that would allow employers to prevent unvaccinated workers from coming to work, although these decisions are not. last.

The Israeli public health union has warned that sharing people’s vaccine status raises privacy concerns. Other experts have raised questions about whether people’s personal information could be used to target them with political advertising.

In the UK, where more than a third of the population received at least one view of the vaccine, the law is legally barred from forcing Britons to get the vaccine. Initially, government ministers said they were opposed to vaccine passports. But in recent weeks, the government has changed support.

Mr Johnson said people are likely to need to test the vaccine to travel abroad, as some countries require a vaccine against yellow fever. But it is not clear whether the government should order certificates for access to recreational activity, he said.

“It simply came to our notice then. We never thought about having something to show for going to a pub or a theater, ”he said this week. “There are deep and complex issues that we need to explore. ”

To get around fears that he will turn those who refuse vaccines into second – class citizens, the government is examining whether a certificate could also be issued if a person tests negative for Covid-19.

Officials are investigating whether a vaccine or test certificate can be displayed on an app developed by the country’s National Health Service. That could take a long time to implement, said Elliot Jones, a researcher at the Ada Lovelace Institute, a British research foundation. The UK government took over six months to build a Covid-19 search and discovery app.

At the same time, the private sector can take matters into its own hands. British holiday operator Saga PLC said buyers must provide confirmation that they have received two vaccination photos before boarding their cruise ships. International Business Tools Corp.

has developed a digital health passport that allows people to share health records with other employers or businesses.

In Israel, some business leaders say they need to vaccinate workers. Shai Wininger, co-founder of Lemonade, a New York-based insurance company Inc., Inc.

he wrote on Facebook that he will only meet people who have been vaccinated face to face.

Major shopping centers Limited.

, which operates in establishments across Israel, said this month it will not allow unvaccinated employees, suppliers and guests access to the regulatory offices starting in March.

Once the majority of the country’s population is included, the question is whether the social and economic costs of vaccine licenses are worth the small reduction in potential distribution they could afford. given, Mr. Jones said.

If vaccines control infection rates, he asked, “Is it worth it for this hardship? ”

– The Norman Hymn in Brussels contributed to this article.

Write to Max Colchester at [email protected] and Felicia Schwartz at [email protected]