To recharge the international travel industry, China has issued the first COVID-19 vaccine passport, which according to the reports shows a user’s vaccination status, recent coronavirus test results and antibody test results.
Although only 3.65% of the Chinese population has been vaccinated, the health certificates for vaccines were released Monday for Chinese citizens to download on the social media platform WeChat.
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Travelers wearing protective masks use their smartphones to scan a QR code before entering Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, September 30, 2020. (Yan Cong / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The certificate is also available in paper form and is not yet compulsory.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the digital certificate would “promote economic recovery of the world and enable travel across borders.”
Lijian added: “The pandemic is still with us, but the world economy needs to be restarted and the exchange of people for people resumed without any further delays.”
It is unclear which countries will recognize the passport.
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Travelers wearing protective masks push their luggage through Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, September 30, 2020. (Yan Cong / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A senior official of the World Health Organization said on Monday that so-called “vaccine passports” for COVID-19 should not be used for international travel, due to numerous concerns, including the ethical consideration that coronavirus vaccines are not readily available worldwide.
WKO’s emergency chief, dr. Michael Ryan, said there are “real practical and ethical considerations” for countries considering using vaccine certification as a travel condition.
“Vaccination is not sufficiently available around the world and is certainly not available on a fair basis,” Ryan said.
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Travelers wearing protective masks push their luggage outside Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, September 30, 2020. (Yan Cong / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The WHO previously noted that it is still unknown how long immunity lasts against the numerous licensed COVID-19 vaccines and that data are still being collected.
Ryan also noted that the strategy may be unfair to people who for some reason cannot be vaccinated and that the requirement of inequality and unfairness makes the requirement of passport passports possible. [to] are further marked in the system. ‘
The Associated Press contributed to this report.