Vaccine passports: WHO expert warns unvaccinated ‘will not be able to travel as widely’

WHO's Nabarro says COVID-19 passport 'system' may emerge

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Many people around the world are dreaming of jetting off on holiday, or travelling overseas to visit friends and family. Though the global vaccine effort is speeding ahead, there has still been little insight into when and if international travel will return.

According to some experts within the travel industry, vaccine passports would be one way to opening up the world once again.

Dr David Navarro, special envoy for the World Health Organisation (WHO) believes “some system for Covid will emerge”.

However, he warned the “reality” of these inoculation documents would mean travel may not be opened up as quickly or as widely for people who have chosen not to, or who have not been able to, access the vaccine.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said: “That is a reality.

“Those of us not in a position to be vaccinated will perhaps not be able to travel as widely as those who have for a bit.”

Despite this, he remains positive the vaccine will become more accessible as the months run on.

“I want to stress the current situation of extreme shortages of the vaccine will, I believe, remedy itself in the coming months as more vaccines come on stream, as more manufacturing sites are opened up to make the vaccine,” he said.

Though Mr Navarro did not specifically outline what the coronavirus vaccination evidence “system” might look like, he did compare it to the current proof of yellow fever vaccine some countries require travellers to show.

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“I noticed if the report just now you compared it with what we already have to do for yellow fever,” he told Good Morning Britain.

“I shan’t be surprised if some system for Covid will emerge.

“But it will require a bit of hard work. Firstly, Governments will have to agree on the kind of system they are going to use.

“Secondly, we also have to bear in mind similar certification should be there for people who have had the disease and can show they have antibodies against the virus.

“A bit of working out to be one but I think it will be important particularly for travel. “

Despite this, UK vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi has said specific vaccine passports are not something the UK is “planning” for “domestic use”.

“We’re not looking at the domestic use of vaccine passports,” he told BBC News.

“That is not in our planning. As the Prime Minister said it would be the national vaccine lion programme along with rapid testing that is the way forward.”

However, with some countries considering proof of vaccination in order to facilitate entry, Mr Zahawi said there would be ways Britons could access evidence of vaccination should they want to visit one of these nations.

“Internationally, if other countries will require a vaccine certificate then I think it is right we facilitate it,” he explained.

“People already have to, when they travel to certain countries, have a yellow fever certificate for a vaccination for yellow fever.

“I think it is right we do that. That is what we are working on.

“If there is a requirement any viewer can ask for a vaccine certificate in the way we do pre-departure test certificates now.

“And, of course, we require them for people that come into our country.”

He continued: “At the moment, you have your health data which is held by the National Immunisation and Vaccination system when your GP has access to.

“And of course if you are on the NHS app you can look at your own records.

“We want to make that certificate accessible to people if they need it for international travel if those countries require it.”

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