Do I need a vaccination certificate to travel abroad?

With vaccinations gaining momentum around the world, attention is now turning to vaccines of a different kind: vaccine passports.

Last week, the International Air Transport Association announced the launch of its new digital travel pass as “the way forward” in resuming quarantine-free international travel.

The app, which is being tested by 30 airlines, allows governments and airlines to collect, access and share encrypted information related to passenger’s Covid-19 test. and pre-travel vaccination status.

The International Chamber of Commerce and the World Economic Forum have created similar apps – ICC AOKpass and CommonPass – that allow travelers to electronically document their medical status. Countries like Denmark and Sweden are launching their own health passports and even tech giants want to get involved.

What are digital health passports and will they facilitate a return to the skies this year?

A vaccine passport, also called a digital health card, is digital documentation that a person has been vaccinated against a virus, in this case Covid.

The data is stored on a phone or digital wallet and is usually displayed as a QR code and can also show if a person has been tested negative for a virus.

Such documentation is not unprecedented. For decades, people have had to show physical “yellow cards” as proof of vaccination against diseases such as cholera, yellow fever and rubella when traveling to certain countries.

However, this is the first time the industry has rallied behind an electronic alternative designed to improve accountability and bypass some of the delays caused by paper counterparts.

“Imagine the scene when 180,000 people present a piece of paper that needs to be checked and validated,” said Mike Tansey, a general manager. at Accenture, referring to the number of daily pre-Covid passengers at Changi Airport in Singapore.

Tansey, who leads Accenture’s APAC travel and hospitality division, has worked with a number of major airlines on their digital health pass strategies, including three in the US and several in Asia Pacific.

He told CNBC’s Global Traveler that those plans have “accelerated” since the introduction of the vaccine, and the need for such passes is clear to him.

“The obvious answer is yes,” Tansey said, when asked if we would need digital health cards to continue traveling.

He called debates a ‘red herring’.

“Governments may not say you should have one, but the implications of that will be so ridiculous that travel won’t be worth it,” he said, referring to extensive testing and “draconian” quarantines.

Tansey isn’t alone. Other experts agree that digital health passports may be the fastest and most effective way to resume international travel.

Jase Ramsey, a professor of management at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lutgert College of Business, agreed that the likelihood of adoption was “very high.” But he noted that concerns about security and personal data make consumers less willing to use digital health cards than their physical alternatives.

“As with any app that stores medical records, there will be privacy and fraud concerns,” Ramsey said.

Accredify is a Singapore-based document accreditation company whose technology is used in the framework of the Singapore government-mandated pre-travel Covid-19 health screenings. It claims the appeal of digital accreditation systems – such as their own, which is based on the blockchain – is that they are tamper-proof and therefore cannot be counterfeited.

“Medical documents stored privately and securely in the app are only accessible to users, allowing them to decide who to share their medical records with and when,” a spokesperson said via email.

Passenger resistance can be overestimated. A recent survey by travel news site The Vacationer found that 73.6% of Americans surveyed say they use a Covid health passport or app so airlines and border authorities can check their vaccination status and test results.

The success of digital health passports depends on the effectiveness of vaccines. Little is known about whether vaccines prevent the spread of Covid, although research is ongoing.

The World Health Organization has called for caution regarding health cards and has told authorities and tour operators not to introduce a vaccination certificate as a condition of international travel.

“This is because the efficacy of vaccines in preventing transmission is not yet clear and the global supply of vaccines is limited,” said a WHO spokesman.

Coordinating the various existing and pending vaccine passports on the market, and ensuring that user certifications are linked to verified and approved medical facilities, will prove to be a major challenge.

“To make vaccine passports an internationally practical tool, there must be a standardized platform that crosses all borders – like the current passport system,” says Dr. Harry Severance, assistant professor at Duke University School of Medicine.

WHO is working with the International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization, among others, to develop standards for digital vaccination maps. It added that its position on health passes “will evolve as evidence on existing and new Covid-19 vaccines is updated.”

Then, of course, there are the social, legal and political ramifications of a system based on unequal global access to vaccines and technology.

According to the WHO, about 3.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to the internet, and more than 1.1 billion cannot officially prove their identity. For many, paper cards remain essential.

“People from different countries, regions or communities may not have access to vaccines or Covid-19 tests,” said Dr. Sharona Hoffman, a professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, noting that low-income countries may not receive any vaccinations. until 2023 or beyond. “Policies that prevent them from traveling or obtaining other services can therefore be discriminatory and exacerbate socio-economic inequalities.”

Such systems could also set a precedent among other groups just as eager to reopen, such as restaurants and event venues. Indeed, Israel has already created a “green passport” to allow vaccinated citizens to access public places.

This week, some US states have switched to remove mask mandates, which could exacerbate this problem.

“As a community moves in this direction, many, many more will follow. As such decisions roll across the country, you will find that vaccine ‘carding’ is becoming a standard,” Severance said.

Ultimately, the resumption of international travel will depend as much on countries’ willingness to reopen as on existing travel verification technology.

In Asia-Pacific, where borders remain largely closed to tourists, governments are leaning towards bilateral agreements, or “travel bells,” with selected neighbors before opening more widely, Accenture’s Tansey said.

“The The reality … is we are still six months away from any meaningful air travel, “he said.” It will only be matches with one or two places at a time. “

But with much of the technology in place and society moving towards an increasingly digitized future, current developments in digital health passports can better prepare the travel industry – and society – for any future turbulence.

“ If we move towards an internationally recognized system of health passports (or) monitoring etc., that will be a facet of a downstream preparedness system that may allow us to survive an impending pandemic, which may have worse dynamics than Covid- 19, ”Severance said.