Covid vaccine passports allowing people to go on foreign holidays are ‘feasible’ but they cannot be introduced yet, experts claimed today.
Scientists said standards of vaccine passports already in operation around the world vary and need to be made universal for the certificates to be useful for international travel.
And the Royal Society academics warned more evidence is needed on immunity, in order to establish how long a passport can be valid for.
They stressed a ‘broader discussion’ was needed about some of the key aspects of any document, such as the need for legal and ethical standards and data privacy.
No10 has so far denied it has plans to introduce any passport scheme, with vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi describing their use as ‘wrong’ and ‘discriminatory’.
But ministers are ‘increasingly positive’ that foreign summer holidays will be possible this year, despite accepting that some countries may require proof of vaccination as a condition for quarantine-free travel in the future.
Some senior ministers have urged Boris Johnson to consider vaccination certificates in order to help breathe life back into the crippled hospitality industry.
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Covid vaccine passports allowing people to go on foreign holidays are ‘feasible’, scientists from the Royal Society have said
Professor Melinda Mills, director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at the University of Oxford and a lead author of the report, said a ‘broader discussion’ about passports is needed before they can be introduced.
She said: ‘Understanding what a vaccine passport could be used for is a fundamental question – is it literally a passport to allow international travel or could it be used domestically to allow holders greater freedoms?
‘The intended use will have significant implications across a wide range of legal and ethical issues that need to be fully explored and could inadvertently discriminate or exacerbate existing inequalities.
‘International standardisation is one of the criteria we believe essential, but we have already seen some countries introducing vaccine certificates related to travel or linked to quarantine or attending events.
‘We need a broader discussion about multiple aspects of a vaccine passport, from the science of immunity through to data privacy, technical challenges and the ethics and legality of how it might be used.’
The report sets out 12 key points that need to be satisfied in order to deliver a vaccine passport.
These include meeting benchmarks for Covid-19 immunity, accommodating differences between how good the vaccines are at protecting against emerging variants as well as the passports being internationally standardised.
Passports would also require verifiable credentials and defined uses.
The Royal Society said the passports would need to be based on technologies that work across different softwares, be secure on personal data, be portable and affordable for individuals and governments.
The report said: ‘A fair balance of data protection and privacy requirements must be considered, in particular to guard against the use of such a passport to track populations.’
It said additional scrutiny on already marginalised groups by police or employers must be guarded against.
Finally they would have to meet legal and ethical standards, having conditions of use that are understood and accepted by people using them.
Professor Christopher Dye, professor of epidemiology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford and one of the lead authors on the report said passports are ‘promising but more criteria need to be satisfied’.
He said: ‘An effective vaccine passport system that would allow the return to pre-Covid-19 activities, including travel, without compromising personal or public health, must meet a set of demanding criteria – but it is feasible.
‘First there is the science of immunity, then the challenges of something working across the world that is durable, reliable and secure.
‘There are the legal and ethical issues and if you can crack all that, you have to have the trust of the people.’
He said ‘huge progress’ has been made towards addressing some of the challenges, but added: ‘We are not there yet’.
Prof Dye said: ‘At the most basic level, we are still gathering data on exactly how effective each vaccine is in preventing infection and transmission and on how long the immunity will last.’
Professor Christopher Dye, professor of epidemiology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford and one of the lead authors on the report said the passports are ‘feasible’
International travel is banned during the current national lockdown unless it is absolutely essential.
But ministers are ‘increasingly positive’ that foreign summer holidays will be possible this year amid hopes vaccine passports will soon make international travel ‘straightforward’.
There is said to be growing optimism in Whitehall that trips abroad will be allowed in the coming months.
A Whitehall source told The Times: ‘It’s looking increasingly positive on summer holidays.
‘Once the vaccination passport system is set up it should be straightforward. That won’t be easy, but we can see the way ahead.’
The newspaper said that Mr Johnson’s exit strategy will not include a timeline for the return of holidays abroad.
It is expected to contain broad aims on how ministers want to get the travel industry back on its feet.
However, a Government source expressed caution and said it is ‘too early’ to say for certain that foreign holidays will be possible this summer.
The source said: ‘There are so many variables over the next few weeks – the rollout of the vaccination programme, what that means for transmission, what happens to case numbers as we open up.’