COVID-19 VACCINE PASSPORT

WHAT IT COULD REALLY MEAN?

Vaccine passports and COVID status apps are systems for verifiably sharing private health data relevant to COVID-19 which could be used to stream society and impose differential lockdown restrictions. This might mean limiting individual access to work, insurance, hospitality and leisure, and other parts of life, based on an individual’s health or risk of COVID-19 infection or transmission.

The government wants as many people as possible to be vaccinated, but it is not compulsory. The millions who have chosen to do so receive a record card and the immunization goes on their medical record.

1. VACCINE PASSPORT has the potential to discriminate against the young, pregnant, or those who can't have the jab for medical reasons.

2. There are 12 tests that should be met by any vaccine passport plan this is to guard against emerging variants".

3. And a vaccine passport would need to meet ethical and legal standards including data protection, human rights, and equality and discrimination laws.

It is also vital to be clear about what the passports would be used for, whether that's international travel or greater domestic freedoms, the report outlined.

The UK is one step closer to a digital Covid-19 immunity passport after live testing of the technology was launched.

The digital passport enables a person’s test results or vaccination status to be registered and proved on an app without disclosing their identity, the companies claim. It is hoped the passport will enable people to safely return to work, school and travel. The development of the passport was part-funded with an investment from Innovate UK following a government drive for innovative technologies to manage the coronavirus pandemic. The passport, which uses facial verification technology, is initially to be tested by clinicians within the NHS.