Can the vaccine health passport reach Latin America?

As debates arise around questions of legality or inclusiveness regarding the use of a health passport for free movement in terms of COVID, theThe European Union (EU) launched on July 1 the Green digital certificate, which allows the movement of individuals, either because they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or because they have a recent negative test, or because they recovered from the disease a few days ago.

In February, Israel, one of the leading countries in terms of vaccination rates, was one of the first nations to adopt a “green pass” to accredit immunity and allow vaccinees access to stadiums, theaters or swimming pools, among other places. However, it had a short duration: on June 1, the Israeli government decided not to extend it after it expired. Authorities alleged the low number of infections no longer made it necessary. In this way, it became the first country to implement it and also to withdraw it.

The possibility of extending this type of resources to the rest of the world is accepted by the scientific community – because it is a measure which aims to control and regulate the circulation of possible suspected cases of COVID-19 – but some difficulties implementation by regions. “Although this is a good form of control so that people can mobilize, it is not necessarily a tool to end the pandemic, but, at least, it is a step towards a certain degree of normality ”, underlined the German virologist Felix Drexler, involved in advising on the implementation of this tool in his country.

However, Latin American analysts are wondering how to start thinking about a possible passport when, for example, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has criticized the fact that only one in ten people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The sidewalk in front

“It is possible to start discussing the implementation of a vaccination passport, but the main thing is now increase access to vaccines and immunize people -Drexler recommends-. There are countries (like Nicaragua or Haiti) where the vaccination rate is less than 10%, and that is not enough. With few vaccinated and faced with emerging variants, we must be very careful so that a third or fourth wave does not arrive ”.

Anthony Fauci, the leading US infectologist and adviser to Biden, said that the United States government is not considering requiring the passport of COVID-19 vaccines. “I doubt that the federal government is the main promoter of a vaccine passport concept,” he said. Latin America lacks a strong regional body capable of unifying regulations, which is why analysts argue it would complicate day-to-day traffic administration rather than alleviating it.

World Health Organization, approved by the United Nations, since the start of the pandemic, he warned that vaccination passports applied for travel may isolate countries. “If a country does not receive vaccines under the same conditions and is required to have a passport to travel, in practice it will be isolated internationally,” said WHO emergency director Mike Ryan.

“We would not like to see the vaccination passport as a requirement to exit or enter, as we are not sure at this time that vaccines prevent transmission. At the same time, there are other problems such as discrimination against people who do not have access to vaccines for different reasons, ”added Margaret Harris, one of the WHO spokespersons.

Regardless of public policy issues concerning tourism, emergencies in Latin America are still focused on accelerating vaccination, an essential milestone so that in the eventual passport there is something to write.

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