WHO mulls recommending 'immunization passports' for post-COVID era international travel

On Friday, Michael Ryan, director of the WHO health emergencies program said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) does not rule out the possibility of introducing immunisation passports for international travel if the situation with Covid-19 changes. 

"If you look at the recommendation made by the committee on vaccination for travellers, it says "at the present time." ... Not because that won't be a good idea in the future, but because we are lacking critical evidence regarding whether or not persons who are vaccinated could continue to transmit disease, and whether they can get sick again. ... Nobody in the world, beyond health workers and very vulnerable people have access to vaccines," Ryan said at a briefing.

He stressed that until more data and more vaccines become available, the emergency committee does not currently consider it necessary to introduce additional barriers to the movement of people. The expert added that there may be different reasons in the future to introduce immunization passports, that will change over time. 

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Singapore Airlines Offers 'COVID Passports'

Earlier Flag carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced the launch of an app that acts like a Digital Health Passport which will carry information about a passenger's COVID-19 negative diagnosis and vaccination for easy passage through the airport. Dubbed as the ‘COVID-19 passport’, the systemic framework was designed by Singaporean firms SGInnovate and Accredify. SIA plans to introduce the digital passports across all cities around mid-2021 on successful tests of the trials. The air carrier has partnered with the Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, and Changi Airport Group and IATA. SIA’s COVID-19 passport is the world’s first implemented system of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

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(With ANI Inputs)