It seems an enticing vision of the near future: air passengers at passport control hold their phones to a scanner that reads a code showing they have been vaccinated against coronavirus. No more on-arrival testing or quarantines. With inoculation programmes gathering pace, so is talk of “vaccination passports” that would help to reopen international travel, and potentially other restricted activities. Though attractive in principle, however, such initiatives need careful handling to avoid pitfalls.
Multiple efforts are already under way. The Vaccination Credential Initiative, a coalition including Microsoft, Oracle and several US health groups, is working on a digital passport to verify that an individual has had a jab, while guarding their privacy. EU leaders will on Thursday discuss a Greek call for certificates “facilitating freedom of movement” for the vaccinated. Five airlines are already offering passengers the use of a digital pass certifying they are Covid-free called CommonPass, backed by the World Economic Forum.
Yet one potential drawback is that while jabs protect against falling ill with Covid-19, it is still unclear to what extent they prevent recipients from passing the virus on. Most experts think vaccines will reduce transmission but not entirely eliminate it. More clarity will emerge as contact tracing starts to show whether any new cases have been passed on by vaccinees. Until then, jabs cannot be relied on as a way of cutting transmission — though authorities can at least be confident that vaccinated travellers are unlikely to fall ill and burden health systems.