Reuters has seen misleading posts suggesting that immunization does not protect people against COVID-19, and that so-called vaccine passports are a side issue. However, bumps are effective and the government is considering COVID certificates to lift restrictions.
Hundreds of Facebook users shared the image, asking what the ‘wax passport’ ‘really’ is for, after noting that vaccinated people can still catch the virus and must follow coronavirus regulations (here).
“We will need a wax passport to show that we have immunity,” the report said. ‘But you can still catch it, you can still spread it, you still have to be tested, you still have to be quarantined, you still have to have a mask, you still have to distance yourself. So, what is the passport really?[sic]for ??? ”
These statements leave out important context.
VACCINES
As previous Reuters fact checks have shown, evidence from clinical trials and the real world shows that people vaccinated against COVID-19 have the best protection (here).
Early data suggest that immunization reduces transmission, but scientists believe more research is needed to be sure. One study found that vaccinating a domestic member reduces in-house transmission by at least 30%, according to a survey by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Andrea Ammon, director of the ECDC, said she “welcomed the positive early indications that the risk of continued transmission appears to be reduced in those vaccinated” and still expects infections to “decrease significantly as vaccination coverage increases” despite new variants (here).
Government data show that deaths in Britain have fallen in recent months (here) and that there is ‘good evidence’ that vaccines reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, according to a parliament blog on April 1 (here).
However, the EU and the UK government say that these data are at an early stage and that COVID-19 restrictions, such as masking and social distance, are also important to keep business (here).
EXIT GATES
The purpose of the so-called vaccine passports is to ‘give the assurance that an individual has a reduced risk of transmission’, according to a government review published on 5 April.
The report added that ‘COVID status certification’ could make it easier to remove the lock; for example, to allow concerts to allow more participants and to relax rules for social distance. (here, page 3).
The idea of asking people to provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to gain access to overcrowded spaces is controversial and more than 70 UK lawmakers indicated their opposition on 2 April (here). No decision has been made and the government has instructed senior minister Michael Gove to review the possible role of immunity certificates and say there are complex ethical issues to investigate (here and here).
VERDICT
Missing context. According to information, vaccinated individuals show greater protection against COVID-19 and the government is considering immune certificates to lift more safely.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.