WHO Opposes COVID-19 Vaccine Passports Idea
The Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization Committee (WHO) has emphasized that the effect of vaccines on reducing transmission is not yet understood and the existing supply of vaccines is too limited, although several countries are preparing to adopt 'vaccination passports' to allow travel more rapidly, encouraging countries to refrain from enforcing such requirements.
WHO called on the governments not to introduce vaccination or immunity requirements as a condition of entry for international travel, as according to the organization, there are still some uncertainties regarding the effectiveness of vaccination, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
“Being vaccinated should not exempt international travelers from complying with other travel risk reduction measures,” the WHO committee stressed during its meeting held on January 14.
However, the President of the European Union Commission Ursula von der Leyen has recently supported the idea to establish such a document which could be used by the EU Member States as a joint certificate to identify all persons who have been vaccinated against the Coronavirus pandemic and make their life easier.
“It is a medical requirement to have a certificate proving that you have been vaccinated,” the President of the Commission said in this regard.
Still, she believes that EU countries should first discuss such a plan.
European Union Commission President’s comments followed a letter addressed to her over a week ago by the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urging the European Commission to create a vaccination document that would facilitate the travel between the bloc, at the time when many countries are imposing restrictions to halt the further spread of COVID-19.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Health of Denmark revealed that it is attempting to create a “vaccine passport” for its citizens, which could be available for Danish citizens.
Authorities in Spain also supported the proposal of creating this common document, even though WHO experts do not believe that this plan would be useful.
Back in April 2020, an EU official told AtoZSerwisPlus.com that those wishing to travel to the Schengen Zone once the vaccine is confirmed and available, the Member States would make proof of vaccination a requirement for those wishing to enter the borderless territory.
Throughout its meeting, the WHO Emergency Committee also discussed the new variants of SARS-CoV-2 found recently in many countries.
The committee urged for “a worldwide expansion of genome sequencing and data exchange, together with greater scientific collaboration to address critical uncertainties”.
The committee also called on the WHO to develop a new standardized system to name new variants of the COVID-19.
