Will I need proof of the vaccine to travel abroad?

As vaccination launches increase worldwide, attention is now shifting to other types of vaccines: vaccine passports.

Last week, the International Air Transport Association announced the launch of its new digital travel permit as a “way forward” in resuming quarantined international travel.

The application, which is being tested by 30 carriers, will allow governments and airlines to collect, access and share encrypted information related to the Covid-19 passenger test. and vaccination status before travel.

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

What are digital health passports and will they make it easier to return to heaven this year?

Also known as a digital health permit, a vaccine passport is the digital documentation that a person has been vaccinated against a virus, in this case Covid.

Stored on a phone or digital wallet, the data is usually presented as a QR code and can also show if a person has tested negative for a virus.

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

However, this marks the first time that the industry has gathered behind an electronic alternative designed to improve verifiability and circumvent some of the arrears caused by paper counterparts.

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

Tansey, who heads APAC Accenture’s tourism and hospitality division, has worked with several major airlines on their digital health transition strategies, including three in the US and several in Asia-Pacific.

He told CNBC’s Global Traveler that these plans have “accelerated” since the vaccine was launched, and the need for such permits is clear to him.

“The obvious answer is yes, yes,” Tansey said when asked if we needed digital health permits to resume the trip.

He called the debates “red herring.”

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

Tansey is not alone. Other experts agree that digital health passports can be the fastest and most effective way to resume international travel.

Jase Ramsey, a professor of management at Lutgert University of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University, agreed that the likelihood of adoption is “very high.” He noted, however, that security and personal data concerns may leave consumers less willing to take digital health permits than their physical alternatives.

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

Accredify is a Singapore-based document accreditation firm whose technology is used in pre-trip Covid-19 health checks mandated by the Singapore government. He argues that the appeal of digital accreditation systems – such as the blockchain-based system itself – is that they are resistant to manipulation and therefore cannot be falsified.

“Medical documents stored privately and securely in the application are accessible only to users, giving them the decision with whom to share their medical records and when,” said a spokesman via e-mail.

Resistance from travelers can be overestimated. A recent study on the travel news site The Vacationer found that 73.6% of Americans surveyed say they will use a passport or Covid health app so that airlines and border authorities can check their condition. vaccination and test results.

The success of digital health passports will depend 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 against health permits, telling authorities and tour operators not to introduce proof of vaccination as a condition for international travel.

“This is due to the fact that the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing transmission is not yet clear, and the overall supply of vaccines is limited,” a WHO spokesman said.

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

“For vaccine passports to be a practical tool internationally, there will need to be a standardized platform that transcends all boundaries – such as the current passport system,” said Dr. Harry Severance, an assistant professor at the School of Medicine. of Duke University.

WHO is working with agencies, including the International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization, to develop standards for digital vaccination cards. He added that his position on health permits will evolve as the 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 unfair global access to vaccines and technology.

About 3.6 billion people globally cannot access the Internet, according to the WHO, and more than 1.1 billion cannot officially prove their identities. For many, paper permits will remain essential.

“People from different countries, regions or communities may not have access to vaccines or Covid-19 testing,” said Dr. Sharona Hoffman, a professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. low-income people may not receive vaccinations. until 2023 or later. “A policy that prevents them from traveling or obtaining other services because of this could be discriminatory and exacerbate socio-economic disparities.”

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

This week, some US states have moved to lift mask warrants, which could exacerbate the problem.

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

Finally, the resumption of international travel will depend as much on the readiness of countries to reopen as on the travel verification technology in place.

In Asia-Pacific, where borders remain largely closed to tourists, governments may tend to bilateral agreements, or “travel bubbles,” with selected neighbors before opening wider, Accenture’s Tansey said.

“ the reality … is that we are still six months away from any significant air travel, “he said.” There will only be agreements with one or two places at a time. “

However, with much of the technology in place and society moving towards an increasingly digitalized future, developments today in digital health passports could leave the travel industry – and society – better prepared for any potential turmoil. .

“If we move towards an internationally recognized passport (or) health monitoring system, etc., this will be a facet of a downstream training system that will eventually allow us to survive a future pandemic that would could have weaker dynamics than Covid-19, “Severance said.