The era of going abroad without a’vaccine passport’

Development of a digital’vaccine passport’ in full swing Various new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) digital’vaccine passport’ applications currently being developed. It is an app that holds a certificate and pass containing the Corona 19 test result or vaccination information on a smartphone in the form of a QR code. Financial Times (FT) capture

-The development of so-called “vaccine passports” is also accelerating as the movement between countries to purchase more and more of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine is growing. The vaccine passport is said to be able to escape from entry restrictions or quarantine measures as proof of vaccination, and is expected to be of great utility in the corona19 pandemic situation. However, there are also concerns that the so-called’vaccine divide’, which acts as a shackle for those who have not been vaccinated, may become a reality. For example, if a vaccine passport is developed and distributed around the world right now, only citizens of countries that have not been vaccinated, including Korea, will be bound.

On the 27th (local time), CNN reported that several technology companies have begun developing smartphone applications (apps) or systems that contain personal information such as Corona 19 diagnostic test results and vaccination history. After registering the information that it has immunity against Corona 19 through vaccination in the app, it will be presented when entering overseas countries, at concerts, sports events, and at international conference halls, so that measures such as entry restrictions can be avoided.

The’Commons Project’, a non-profit organization in Geneva, Switzerland, is working with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to develop a’Common Pass’ app, a kind of vaccine passport. If the app user updates the Corona 19 diagnostic test result or the vaccination certificate issued by the hospital, it is possible to obtain a certificate, pass, etc. recognized by the health authorities of each government or the airline in the form of a QR code. They are developing apps in collaboration with airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, United Airlines, and Swiss Airlines, as well as hundreds of medical corporations in the United States.

Three aviation communities, SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and OneWorld, which account for about 60% of the global aviation market, issued a statement and said, “The quarantine measures of entrants by governments are a dull method to prevent the spread of Corona 19. The introduction of a vaccine passport is the only alternative.” An official from the Commons project called the app under development as a’Digital Yellow Card’, which is compared to the’Yellow Fever Card’, a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever virus. The Yellow Fever Card is a mandatory vaccination certificate when entering most countries in Africa. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 countries, including Ghana, Cameroon, and Uganda, require a certificate of yellow fever vaccination upon entry. Yellow fever is an epidemic that is predominantly prevalent in Southwest Africa and South America, so it is only needed to go to this area, but Corona 19 is spreading all over the world, so a vaccine passport, a “digital wallet,” could be far more useful than a paper certificate. IBM, a global information technology (IT) company, also started developing a vaccine passport. The problem is that a vaccination passport can be a’free pass’ that guarantees free travel for vaccinated people, but it can be a’restriction of movement’ for those who do not. Depending on whether or not vaccination is given, gaps can arise in global economic activities. For this reason, it was controversial that the French government announced on the 23rd of last month that it would push ahead with a plan to restrict the use of public transportation unless it proved to be vaccinated against Corona 19.

Australia’s largest airline, Qantas, also announced last month that it will only allow passengers vaccinated with the Corona 19 vaccine to board international flights. “Immune passports impose artificial restrictions on which citizens of any country can participate in social and economic activities,” said Alexandra Fallen, a professor at the Georgetown University Medical Center.

There are also concerns that the vaccine passport will be used as a standard for restrictions on movement rights in a situation where verification of the efficacy or safety of the Corona 19 vaccine is not yet complete. Because it is not yet known how long the immunity effect of the Corona 19 vaccine will last, it is necessary to be cautious about introducing a vaccine passport.

Reporter Kim Ye-yoon [email protected]· Kim So-min