Google Trends data shows that the World Health Organization (WHO) yellow card vaccine passport, also known as the International Vaccination Certificate or Prophylaxis, is being searched online.
Recent search trends may be linked to a popular TikTok video in which a user claimed that US citizens would need the card to travel abroad due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The video, posted on March 17, was enjoyed almost 600,000 times before being removed or made private.
The claim
In the video, TikTok user Jason Nicewicz said, “You will need a WHO yellow vaccination passport if you plan to travel abroad as soon as the borders are opened.”
Nicewicz said that the COVID-19 vaccination cards issued in the USA by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for those who received an injection are not accepted internationally “because they are easily counterfeit and are administered by the CDC, which is a American organization that other countries don’t necessarily recognize. “
Nicewicz said: “What is recognized by all countries in the world are the documents administered by the World Health Organization, specifically this yellow vaccination passport. This is what you need if you want to travel abroad.
“All you have to do is add the coronavirus information to that, so boom, it is valid in all countries in the world.”
Nicewicz added that passports must be signed by a doctor to be valid.
The facts
The WHO Yellow Card is currently not required for international travel related to COVID-19 and the current WHO position is that countries should not require proof of vaccination with COVID-19 as a basis for entry or exit.
WHO said Newsweek: “The main reasons are that the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing transmission is not yet clear and the current global supply of vaccines is limited.
“Our recommendations will evolve as the offering expands and as evidence on existing and new COVID-19 vaccines is compiled.”
However, some countries, such as Iceland, allow travelers to check the COVID-19 vaccination before entering, instead of providing a negative result, which is widely required. A WHO yellow card would be a valid pass in this case.
In addition, the European Union has submitted proposals for a digital passport for vaccines that could be introduced in time for the summer tourist season. For the USA, Dr. Anthony Fauci said earlier Newsweek that “everything will be on the table” in relation to mandatory vaccination in the country.
The WHO Yellow Card, also known as Carte Jaune, is not exclusive to COVID-19. The card is required by some countries as proof that travelers are vaccinated against yellow fever. They can also document vaccination against diseases such as cholera or rubella, according to the Washington Post.
As Nicewicz said in the TikTok video, the document must be signed by a doctor before it becomes valid. A scanned copy of the passport available on the WHO website shows that the internal section states: “This certificate must be signed in the hand of the doctor, who must be a doctor or other authorized health professional, supervising the administration of the vaccine or prophylaxis. The certificate it must also contain the official stamp of the administrator center. “
The decision
Mostly false.
Nicewicz is correct in stating that the WHO Yellow Card is used as an international vaccine certificate, but at the moment it is only widely used for yellow fever. In Iceland, it is acceptable as proof of a COVID-19 vaccine and will allow travelers to enter without further verification.
However, there are currently no global laws that require proof of a COVID-19 vaccine for travel, and many current vaccine certificate proposals are regional.
In addition, there are concerns that vaccine passports may be discriminatory against people or nations that do not have access to a vaccine as readily as others. The WHO, which issues the yellow passport, has this stance.
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Michael Ciaglo / Getty