The concept of “Vaccine Passport”
Vaccine passports are understood as medical certificates proving that an individual has been fully vaccinated with two doses of Covid-19 vaccine or is immune to Covid-19, thereby allowing free travel to stimulate the tourism industry in the context of the pandemic that has not yet been completely controlled.
Vaccine passports could be issued in the form of a QR code stored on a phone app or e-wallet.
How are vaccine passports implemented?
Faced with the urgent need to resume global trade and travel, a number of countries and organizations have piloted digital Covid-19 safety certification tools under different names.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has developed a digital travel pass tool calledDigital Travel PassThis is a card that manages the owner's travel history and proves to authorities and airlines that they have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
In Europe, the European Commission (EC) has planned to issue a card calledDigital Green Pass(Electronic Green Pass) to certify that an individual has been vaccinated - providing test results if not vaccinated and also information about recovery if previously infected with Covid-19, with the aim of gradually allowing people to move safely within the EU or abroad for work or tourism purposes.
Meanwhile,Common Passis a common travel pass being tested by the WEF - World Economic Forum and the Common Project - a Swiss non-profit organization. The QR code in the application helps provide information about testing and vaccines to authorities when necessary.
International computer corporation IBM has introducedDigital Health Pass(Digital Health Pass) is being applied as a solution to integrate multiple data on body temperature checks, virus exposure warnings, test results and vaccination status. IBM said the card will help people travel conveniently to schools, workplaces, stadiums or flights...
According to UNWTO - World Tourism Organization, the application of Covid-19 vaccination certificates is an important step to help the world respond to the pandemic, promoting the safe restart of international tourism activities. At the same time, UNWTO also called for promoting the digitalization - standardization of medical certificates to be widely recognized by the international community.
Throughout human history, it has been common for people to present proof of vaccination to participate in certain activities or enter a country. For decades, some countries have required people to present a “yellow card” proving they have been vaccinated against cholera, rubella, and yellow fever.
Challenges for "vaccine passports"
There is still much debate around the world about the application of "vaccine passports". The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to be cautious about considering vaccination as a condition for international travel. Because the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing disease is still not clear - and the global vaccine supply is limited.
Previously, it took at least 4-5 years to research a vaccine, while the Covid-19 vaccine has only been researched and granted emergency approval for less than a year. Therefore, there will be some problems such as: different vaccines have different protective effects; some vaccines only reduce symptoms and severity of the disease - it is not known how to reduce infection; it is not certain how long antibodies will last in the body...
In addition, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is constantly mutating, so vaccines may not be effective or less effective against new variants. And the possibility of fake vaccine passports appearing cannot be ruled out. Therefore, the implementation of "vaccine passports" remains a challenge for countries.
In fact, for a “vaccine passport” to become a valid travel pass, there needs to be a standardization platform for the whole world. Currently, WHO is working with the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association to develop common standards for vaccine passports.
"VACCINE PASSPORT" IN VIETNAM
Recently, among those entering Vietnam, there are people who have “vaccine passports”. However, up to now, our country has not changed its epidemic prevention work, so people entering the country with vaccination certificates must still be quarantined according to the prescribed time.
Currently, only Phu Quoc (Kien Giang) is piloting the "Vaccine Passport" program. Accordingly, the Provincial People's Committee proposed allowing Kien Giang to pilot the reception of Russian tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 to Phu Quoc for vacation under the "Closed Quarantine Tourism" model, through charter flights, staying at one location, and limiting travel. After that, the province will evaluate and allow the expansion of welcoming tourists from countries that have completed Covid-19 vaccination.
Quang Ninh is also open to vaccinated visitors, but the province will pilot a 7-day centralized medical quarantine for entrants and will study a gradual reduction in quarantine time in the future.
