As I see it | Covid-19 passports could backfire by giving a false sense of security
- Experts say there are several problems with vaccine travel documents, with potential to spread variants the most serious
- China has launched its own version and many other countries are considering them as a way to reopen borders and salvage economies
In Europe, countries that heavily rely on tourism such as Spain, Greece and Cyprus, are strong supporters of the measure. Other proponents include airlines and companies involved in the development of mobile applications for digital vaccination certificates.
Apart from economic considerations, China is hoping to position itself as a world leader in the fight against Covid-19 and the post-pandemic economic recovery. As early as last November, President Xi Jinping proposed a global QR code system to the G20, to enable cross-border movement based on nucleic acid test results.
The WHO and many other experts have pointed out the limitations of using vaccination records as travel documents. Most importantly, we are still unsure how effective the available vaccines are in reducing transmission of the disease.
While they seem to do well in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 that requires hospitalisation, it is unknown how well they can cut transmission, especially by asymptomatic patients and those with mild symptoms. It is also still unclear how long immunity will last.