The conversation
Vaccine passports may be on the way – but are they cause for hope or cause for concern?
Israeli dinners with a ‘green pass’ can enjoy a meal with friends Emmanuel Dunand / AFP via Getty ImagesAfter a year of canceled shows, closed-door sporting events and restricted air travel, vaccine passports are being touted as a way to speed up the way back to normality. The premise is straightforward: a digital or paper document will indicate whether the individuals received the COVID-19 vaccination or, in some cases, whether the test was negative for the coronavirus recently. This could allow them to travel more freely in their communities, enter other countries or participate in leisure activities that were largely closed during the pandemic. Vaccine passports appear to be a desirable alternative to continue blocking until herd immunity – estimated at around 70% -85% of the vaccination rate – is achieved. As a researcher in global health management, I can certainly see the benefits of passports for vaccines. But I am also aware of the pitfalls. While vaccine passports can open up the world to many, they can lead to discrimination – especially against the poor. Return to the skies Undoubtedly, there is a desire to return to normal as soon as possible. For the tourism industry, which estimates more than $ 1 trillion in losses due to COVID-19, the reopening of travel would be a much-needed relief. Even for those who can travel during the pandemic, arrival in most countries required significant restrictions, often including a hotel quarantine of up to 14 days. Vaccination passports can allow families separated by local blocks or state or national border restrictions to meet in person. Defending the need for a digital passport, an Air New Zealand executive told The Guardian: “Ensuring customers that travel is, in fact, safe is one of our priorities. By using the app, customers can be sure that everyone on board meets the same government health requirements as they do. ”And it’s not just about travel. Passports can also open the door to everyday activities that seemed normal before the pandemic. In Israel, the country with the fastest vaccination rate, citizens with a vaccination “green pass” will be allowed to enter gyms, hotels, shows and meals in restaurants. And some employers are considering requiring proof of vaccination to return to work. Getting a green pass In short, the concept of vaccine passports is no longer theoretical, as it was at the beginning of the pandemic, when the World Health Organization recommended against its use. It has even been suggested that attracting a vaccine passport could result in more people applying to be vaccinated. Israel instituted its green pass program on February 21, both to reopen the economy and to encourage young people to get vaccinated. Other countries are monitoring the success of Israel’s program. The UK has shown an interest in the idea of vaccine passports, and the 27 member states of the European Union are considering some form of vaccine certification system to allow easier cross-border travel in the EU. In the United States, President Joe Biden instructed government agencies to “assess the feasibility” of some form of digital vaccine certificate, analogous to the concept of a vaccine passport. Pandemic inequities This potential opening of the world after months of restrictions is welcome. But the concern is that the benefits will not be distributed equitably and, as a result, some groups will be at a disadvantage. After all, a pandemic that was once considered a “great equalizer” soon turned out to be anything but. As with most health crises, racial minorities made up a larger proportion of those affected in the United States – as seen in their higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Income and racial disparities persist in vaccination campaigns. In the United States, for example, black Americans received the vaccine at half the rate of white Americans, and the disparity is even greater among Hispanic Americans. Globally, rich countries have ordered almost all vaccines available today, which means that the average citizen in a high-income country is much more likely to receive a vaccine than a health worker or high-risk citizen in low-income countries. . It is also likely that demographic groups with the highest levels of trust in medical authorities and institutions are the most willing to be vaccinated, and this can adversely affect marginalized communities. A recent study found that black Americans – who have legitimate reasons to distrust the medical establishment – were the least likely of any racial group in the United States to say they would be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Thus, vaccination passports can perpetuate existing inequalities within countries if vaccinated people can enjoy the freedom to move around in their community while others remain in prison. A divided world? Given the global imbalance in the availability of the vaccine, it is not difficult to imagine a situation in which citizens of rich countries can regain their rights to travel to environments where local populations are still in some form of confinement. This potential to further divide the global rich from the poor is a significant concern. Once economies begin to “open” and those with vaccine passports are able to continue their business as usual, the urgency to deal with COVID-19 in marginalized communities may dissipate. In addition, vaccination passports can give populations an inaccurate level of risk perception. It is not yet clear how long immunity will last. It is also unclear to what extent transmission of the virus is limited after vaccination. Public health officials still suggest that vaccinated individuals wear masks and keep their distance in public for now, especially if they interact with unvaccinated people. These recommendations have led to concerns that vaccinated tourists, cafeterias and shoppers may act to put the unvaccinated service and hospitality workers with whom they are interacting at risk. [Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.] There are also concerns about the privacy of vaccine passports, which are being proposed mainly in digital format. In the United Kingdom, the proposed vaccine certification would come in the form of an application, which could be scanned to gain access to restaurants and places. This has raised concerns that digital passports may infringe on the rights to privacy, freedom of movement and peaceful assembly. Low-ranking countries in the global freedom indexes, such as Bahrain, Brunei and China, are also using apps, often with worrying implications. In China, the app was found to be linked to law enforcement, and as people checked in to locations around the city, their locations were tracked by the software. Despite the advantages of vaccine passports, these concerns remain. The World Health Organization has asked nations to make sure that, if implemented, passports for vaccines are not responsible for “increasing health inequities or increasing the digital divide”. The danger is that, until now, at all stages the pandemic has exposed the inequalities of society. Vaccine passports can also perpetuate these inequalities. This article was republished from The Conversation, a non-profit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Yara M. Asi, University of Central Florida. Read more: Many black Americans are in no hurry to get the COVID-19 vaccine – a long history of medical abuse suggests why Why COVID-19 immunity passports may violate US law Yara M. Asi is a non-resident fellow at the Arab Center DC and a member of the Al-Shabaka policy.