While these passports can help companies reopen quickly and safely and boost tourism and travel around the world, their proliferation can become an issue.
“There are, at the last count, that I know of, 17 or 18 different ones out there,” said Brian Anderson, chief physician of digital health at MITER, a federally funded research firm in Bedford
If the various passport systems are not compatible, Anderson added, “it would be an incredibly painful experience for consumers.” For example, a sports fan may need a passport app to go to a baseball game and another to eat at a restaurant.
Vaccine passports are familiar to travelers around the world who have yellow fever immunization cards. In the United States, people who have been vaccinated with COVID receive a similar paper card, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But they are easy to fake and, unlike yellow fever cards, are not officially recognized by other countries.
In January, the Biden administration ordered federal agencies to evaluate the idea of creating digital certificates for all vaccinated American citizens, similar to IBM’s Digital Health Pass. This more robust approach would present a digital QR code linked to the person’s identity. In the thousands of locations where vaccines are provided, health professionals entered the information on a computer to generate the code. Patients would download an application that would allow them to scan the codes with their smartphone cameras and store them on their phones. Or they can receive a printed copy of the QR code.
MITER is part of a consortium that works to solve the compatibility challenge. Another member of the group, Jenny Wanger, director of programs at the Linux Foundation Public Health, said they intend to obtain a vaccine passport that works perfectly like a credit card.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a Visa or Mastercard,” said Wanger. “You can still swipe your card and people will know which bank to take the money from.” Vaccine passport applications must be equally compatible, said Wanger.
But getting it right will require diplomacy, as well as technology, because the nations of the world must agree to accept each other’s vaccine certificates. Otherwise, countries will have to negotiate special agreements with each other. For example, Greece and Cyprus have agreed to accept Israel’s vaccine passport, but other countries have not. Only a global agreement can resolve the issue, and the World Health Organization has created a working group to address this.
But should proof of vaccination be mandatory for global travel? The WHO says no, arguing that vaccinated people can still spread the disease, despite being protected. In addition, the agency is concerned that mandatory vaccine passports may prevent the travel of millions of people from developing countries, where it will take years to vaccinate everyone.
Meanwhile, civil libertarians fear that vaccine passports could compromise our privacy. If people are forced to display them wherever they go, governments can use them to track people’s movements. They also argue that passports will create a two-tier society in which unvaccinated people may not be able to travel, shop or get a job.
“Vaccine passports are unproven, discriminatory and will put New Yorkers at risk,” said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance technology supervision project.
Companies must also decide whether to require proof of vaccination. Some customers or employees may find this demand intrusive. In addition, many in the United States may never be vaccinated. In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 15% of respondents, American citizens, said they would definitely not receive the vaccine, while another 15% said they probably would not. This represents 50 to 100 million people. It will not be easy to turn down so many potential customers or employees.
Still, there is a lot of corporate interest in requiring passports for vaccines from employees. “Almost every company we work with is asking about this,” said Joan Harvey, president of care solutions at Evernorth, a business unit at health insurer Cigna.
Some companies may require all employees to demonstrate that they have been vaccinated, said Harvey. Others are considering a hybrid approach, with certificates required only for people working in close proximity to others.
But some may be reluctant to require customers to show vaccine passports. For example, the National Football League and the Major Baseball League have stated that each team will decide whether they will be required.
In Massachusetts, sports arenas were cleared to allow face-to-face participation from March 23, unless an increase in COVID infections forces a change of plans. The Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots said there are currently no plans to require COVID passports at Fenway Park or Gillette Stadium. Nor are there plans like that at TD Garden, where Boston Bruins and Celtics play.
Fairs and conventions to come to Boston are likely to set their own rules, said Nate Little, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.
“When an event arrives in the city and rents one of our venues, they basically own it during the show and implement their own health and safety protocols,” said Little. “I would say it would be the same going forward.”
The aviation sector has been the most direct in requesting passports for vaccines. Nicholas Calio, president of the Airlines for America commercial group, testified before Congress last week that air carriers are eager to adopt a vaccine verification system.
“We think that verifiable test and vaccination data is essential for the return trip,” said Calio. Several U.S. airlines are already testing apps that display traveler’s vaccination status. They are mainly focused on international flights, due to concerns that some countries may require proof of vaccination.
But Airlines for America, like the WHO, said that the use of such passports by air travelers should be strictly voluntary.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeTechLab.