Being vaccinated against COVID-19 may not prevent transmission and vaccine passports may not be an “effective strategy” for restarting travel, cautioned the World Health Organization (WHO).
“At this stage, we would not like to see vaccination passports as a requirement for entry or exit because we are not sure at this stage that the vaccine prevents transmissions,” said WHO spokesperson Dr Margaret Harris, just ahead of World Health Day on 7 April 2021.
Dr. Harris added that vaccine passports may not be an effective strategy as “not everyone has access to vaccines and there are groups in society who are excluded…We are still waiting on adequate supplies to provide the vaccines to all the countries that need them.”
Highlighting how COVID-19 has impacted some people more than others, Dr. Harris said that the virus “has really exposed the stark inequities in access to and coverage of health services…Groups who already faced discrimination, poverty, social exclusion, difficult living and working conditions were the hardest hit by the pandemic”.
The “Digital Green Certificate” will facilitate safe and free movement during the COVID-19 pandemic within the EU. A Digital Green Certificate will be a proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has received a negative test result or has recovered from COVID-19 that can be used across all EU Member States. It can also be introduced in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway as well as Switzerland. The Digital Green Certificate will also be open to initiatives being developed globally.
The Digital Green Certificate can serve as proof of vaccination, testing and recovery in order to waive restrictions to free movement put in place in a Member State on public health grounds, such as testing or quarantine requirements. If a Member State accepts proof of vaccination to waive restrictions to free movement, it will have to accept proof of vaccination issued by another Member State in relation to vaccines which have received EU market authorisation.
Member States will have the option to extend this to travellers who receive other vaccines. When travelling, every Digital Green Certificate holder will have the same rights as citizens of the visited Member State who have been vaccinated, tested or recovered. If a Member State continues to require holders of a digital green certificate to quarantine or test, it must notify the Commission and all other Member States and provide reasons for such measures.
For this year’s World Health Day, the UN agency has urged countries to build a fairer, healthier world post-COVID-19. Dr. Harris called for action to “put in place policies and allocate resources so the most vulnerable groups can see their condition improve faster”.
This means “improving living conditions for all”, tackling “poverty and health inequities”, building sustainable societies and strong economies, and promoting “a more equitable sharing of resources, ensuring food security and nutrition” and turning “the tide on climate change”. There is so much work to do”, she said. Latest WHO data from Tuesday 6 April, at the time of posting, indicates that there have been 131,309,792 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 2,854,276 deaths globally, reported to WHO.
By the end of 5 April, a total of 604,032,357 vaccine doses have been administered. Regionally, infections and deaths remain highest in the Americas, with 56,880,123 confirmed cases, followed by Europe (46,085,310), South-East Asia (15,438,907), Eastern Mediterranean (7,785,717), Africa (3,126,037) and Western Pacific (1,992,953).
President Ursula von der Leyen debates priorities ahead of hard winter at the State of the European Union #SOTEU at…
More than two million refugees have now been forced to flee their homes in Ukraine to find safety in neighbouring…
The European Commission proposed an outline of a plan to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030, starting with gas, in…
In response to Russian President Putin’s unprecedented and unprovoked military attack against Ukraine, the EU is responding by adopting a…
Finish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will change the debate around NATO membership within her country.…
EU leaders held a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General sending the message that the world can see that unity…
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.