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THE European Union’s COVID-19 vaccination digital passport or certificate was officially launched in early July (1/7). The certificate is designed to show via a QR code, whether the passenger has been fully vaccinated, has immunity due to recent recovery from COVID-19, or has tested negative.
The document, which includes a QR code and digital signature, can be displayed on a digital device or printed. People who have proof of this vaccination do not have to get an additional COVID-19 test or quarantine while traveling in the European Union.
Quoted from The Verge, Monday (7/5), the certificate only recognizes COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the European Union which include AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Several countries in the European Union have issued and recognized these certificates. Germany, for example, in mid-June said it had issued 5 million certificates.
Countries that are not part of the European Union, such as the UK, have started rolling out their own systems. The UK has its own COVID-19 clearance through the National Health Service (NHS), which can also show evidence of vaccinations, recent test results or past infections.
People in Scotland and Wales can get a hardcopy version. The European Union does not currently recognize NHS permits, although some countries within the EU do, and that may change as countries attempt to make the system compatible.
Some states in the United States such as New York have their own COVID-19 vaccine certificates. Walmart is rolling out digital records for vaccinated people in its stores. But there is no national system in the US.
In March, the Biden administration was working on plans to organize and streamline various certificate projects. Google announced yesterday that they are adding support for vaccine cards to Android.
Impact
Although it is hoped that it will have a positive impact, especially in facilitating mobility between destinations, the existence of this vaccine passport has also caused various reactions for several groups.
Groups representing Europe’s largest airlines and airports have warned of chaos and hours of queues unless countries better coordinate the rollout of EU digital COVID-19 certificates and ensure passengers are processed before arriving at airports.
Airport group ACI and airline representative bodies A4E, IATA and ERA warned in a letter late last month to European Union national leaders of a “worrying patchwork” across the continent.
“As passenger traffic increases in the coming weeks, the risk of chaos at European airports is real,” the group said in a joint letter.
The letter said the only way to avoid large queues and delays during the height of summer is to implement a system where vaccination certificates and passenger search forms are processed remotely before passengers arrive at the airport.
“Checks should only be carried out in the country of departure and not upon arrival, and the national government should manage health data and provide equipment to check QR codes,” the letter said. [antaranews]
