“The 360” shows different perspectives on the main stories and debates of the day.
What is happening
Millions of people are being vaccinated daily. While this is undoubtedly good news, this growing portion of the population with COVID-19 immunity creates an enigma for decision makers as they plan a gradual reopening of the country. On the one hand, there are costs to ask vaccinated people to support the isolation of blockages when they face little risk of the virus. On the other hand, lifting restrictions to accommodate them would endanger unvaccinated people.
Several countries have begun to explore a possible solution to this problem: A vaccine passport would provide official proof that someone has been vaccinated and grant them access to activities that are out of reach for other people – be it international travel, bars and restaurants, gyms or group meetings.
In, where almost half of the population is fully vaccinated, a digital “green pass” gives immune citizens the freedom to make a long list of things that had been banned since the start of the pandemic. The and e leaders have announced plans to launch their own versions of the green pass in the near future. There are no official plans for a vaccine passport in the United States yet, but he has ordered his government to “assess the feasibility” of creating a digital vaccination tracking database.
Why there is debate
Proponents of vaccine passports say the documents would allow a safe compromise between the strict blocking rules and the general lifting of restrictions. A simple application, they argue, could allow companies to open their doors to vaccinated customers, which will help accelerate economic recovery and save people with COVID-19 immunity from the burden of isolation. Others argue that granting special privileges to vaccinated people can motivate people who would otherwise refuse to get the vaccine.
Skeptics raise a number of concerns about vaccine passports. The most significant issue, they argue, is that passports would make the inequalities that were highlighted throughout the pandemic even worse. Poor, black people have endured much of the suffering from coronavirus and are also being vaccinated at a lower rate than wealthy white people. Rewarding those who have been vaccinated would invariably mean punishing those who have been denied access to vaccines by an unjust system, critics argue. Others say that clinically vulnerable people who cannot get the vaccine for health reasons would be left out altogether.
There are also fears that passports will further politicize the distribution of the vaccine and make vaccine hesitation even worse among people who generally do not trust the government. Others raise practical questions about how a digital vaccination database could be private and whether the United States could even gather the data needed to build it.
What is the next
The chances that the U.S. government will be able to reveal a vaccine passport system soon appear to be minimal, but proof of vaccination may soon be required by several private companies. Some airlines, cruise ship operators and event companies have started trying to make photos mandatory for all customers.
Perspectives
Supporters
Vaccine passports would create incentives for more people to be vaccinated
“The biggest advantage of vaccine passports is that they encourage people to get the vaccine. Many people who are indifferent in getting it, but want to be able to fly or participate in a sporting event, would have a strong incentive to hurry up and claim their doses. Being vaccinated would also increase your health and job prospects, as well as protect others. ” – Tyler Cowen,
Passports would be a safe way for the economy to reopen
“An increasing number of states appear to be opening businesses indiscriminately, while other states are removing mandates from the masks – even in states where coronavirus transmission levels are hardly decreasing. … It seems that it would be useful to have some uniform method for identifying vaccinees and allowing multiple sites for screening for admission. ”- David A. Andelman,
Passports would help ease the mental health burden of millions of roadblocks
“In addition to the economic momentum, the benefit to the general mental health of these sanctioned ‘new’ normal ‘islands’ would be incalculable.” – Dr. Jeffrey W. Moses,
People who face little risk shouldn’t have to keep putting their lives on hold
“Those who are now immune should be able to slowly and carefully start living their lives again. Go to public places and gyms. Eat out. Buy and rebuild communities. It is important to maintain good ventilation and wear masks for extra security until the prevalence of the community falls and we achieve collective immunity, but this is a good time for immune people to be active. ”- Dorry Segev and Marty Makary,
Without government guidance, private companies will create an ad hoc passport system
“This will be difficult and that is why it is imperative that we understand everything now, as a society, and do not leave that to the whims and demands of private companies and citizens.” – Andrew Bailey,
The benefits outweigh the potential disadvantages
“If vaccines help to protect people from illness and facilitate blocking measures, I will be happy to show you a piece of paper confirming that I have had my vaccine. I don’t feel violated in any way, I don’t feel coerced and I don’t think it’s a violation of my confidential medical records. ”- Dr. Amir Khan,
Skeptics
A functional vaccine passport system may not be logistically possible in the USA
“While some experts say there is a chance that the US government will achieve a successful and legal certification scheme, data privacy and anti-discrimination barriers, as well as technicians, can make a federal vaccine passport system difficult to impose on Americans ”. – Alexis Keenan,
Vaccine passports would make inequality worse
“Throughout the pandemic, widespread inequalities were exposed and exploited by the virus. The proposition of passports for vaccines will only further exacerbate these inequalities. ”- Jay Patel,
Vulnerable groups would be left behind by vaccine passports
“These restrictive passports can mean that you will no longer be able to work, study or even buy food. At a time when the distribution of the vaccine is highlighting inequalities both locally and internationally, when communities of color and low-income communities are being systematically under-served, vaccine passports would increase our medical segregation ”. – Albert Fox Cahn,
Punishing people for distrusting the health system will only make the problem worse
“The confidence of minority populations in health care and health institutions is very low at the moment. Conditioning their re-engagement in society based on whether or not they get the vaccine when they already have such high levels of public distrust is deeply problematic. I think it erodes trust even more. This could delay vaccine policy, health and confidence in health and science even more than it has ever done. ”- Law and ethics scholar Nita Farahany for
A digital vaccine registry raises major privacy concerns
“Vaccination passports would also make private health information public. If there is one thing that Americans protect in the internet age, it is personal information. And if there’s a place where Americans don’t want that information, it’s on a government record. ”- Editorial,
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Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images