Vaccine passports during the COVID-19 pandemic

An EU Green Pass in digital format being scanned before entering a bistro in Parma, Italy

A vaccine passport or proof of vaccination is an immunity passport employed as a credential[1] in countries and jurisdictions as part of efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic via vaccination. A vaccine passport is typically issued by a government or health authority, and usually consists of a digital or printed record. Some credentials may include a scannable QR code, which can also be provisioned via mobile app. It may or may not use a COVID-19 vaccine card as a basis of authentication.

The use of vaccine passports is based on the general presumption that a vaccinated individual would be less likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others, and less likely to experience a severe outcome (hospitalization or death) if they were to be infected, thus making it relatively safer for them to congregate. A vaccine passport is typically coordinated with policies enforced by individual businesses, or enforceable public health orders, that require patrons to present proof of vaccination for COVID-19 as a condition of entry or service.

Government-mandated use of vaccine passports typically applies to discretionary public spaces and events (such as indoor restaurants, bars, or large-scale in-person events, such as concerts and sports), and not essential businesses, such as retail stores or health care. In France, Italy,[2] Ireland,[3] and Canada,[4] vaccine uptake increased after various levels of governments announced plans to introduce vaccine passports. An intention by some jurisdictions is to prevent future lockdowns and restrictions.[5]

Vaccine passports are controversial and have raised scientific, ethical and legal concerns.[6][7] Critics have also argued that vaccine passports violate civil liberties via coercion.[8] In the United States, there is no vaccine passport at a federal level, and some US states have preemptively banned vaccine passports in certain public and private sector contexts, citing discrimination and privacy concerns.[9] England initially decided against mandating vaccine passports due to worries that discrimination and economic harm would occur, but later joined the other nations of the United Kingdom in mandating vaccine passports due to the threat of the Omicron variant.

  1. ^ "FAQ: What Is A Vaccine 'Passport,' And What Are These Credentials Used For?". Georgia Public Broadcasting. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  2. ^ Hart, Robert. "Vaccine Passports Spur Explosion In Vaccinations—And Protests—As Europe Cracks Down On Vaccine Holdouts". Forbes.
  3. ^ "Covid-19: Irish vaccine passports 'accelerated' jab uptake". BBC News. 2 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  4. ^ "With vaccine passports around the corner, Niagara sees increase in vaccination appointments; 55 new COVID cases Sunday". stcatharinesstandard.com. 4 September 2021.
  5. ^ Ali Raza (30 August 2021). "Vaccine passports crucial to prevent future COVID-19 lockdowns, hospitality industry says". CBC News. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  6. ^ Voo TC, Reis AA, Thomé B, Ho CW, Tam CC, Kelly-Cirino C, et al. (February 2021). "Immunity certification for COVID-19: ethical considerations". Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 99 (2): 155–161. doi:10.2471/blt.20.280701. PMC 7856365. PMID 33551509.
  7. ^ Dada, Sara; Battles, Heather; Pilbeam, Caitlin; Singh, Bhagteshwar; Solomon, Tom; Gobat, Nina (27 September 2021). "Learning from the past & present: social science implications for COVID-19 immunity-based documentation" (PDF). Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. 8 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1057/s41599-021-00898-4. ISSN 2662-9992.
  8. ^ "Covid: US rules out federal vaccine passports". BBC News. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Vaccine passports: 10 states with digital credentials & 20 states with bans". beckershospitalreview.com.