A screenshot of a contract award notice was shared on social media, along with the false allegation that it shows a COVID-19 vaccine passport being developed in the UK.
Reports sharing the claim can be seen (here, here).
The posts show an actual contract awarded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for a ‘Covid-19 certification / passport’, which can be seen (here).
The contract, awarded to a company called Netcompany UK Limited, is not a vaccination passport but a certificate system for people who test COVID-19 negatively.
A document outlining how the certificate can work states that it will enable the following: ‘workplaces, education centers, health and social care services and businesses can be opened up to members of the public who have also tested negative for COVID -19 to other criteria ”(here).
A DHSC spokesman told Reuters in an email: “We do not intend to impose immunity passports following this vaccination program.”
‘We are constantly exploring ways in which we can return to normalcy as soon as possible while controlling the spread of the virus.
“This includes ways in which technology can be used to safely re – open up workplaces, educational centers and health and social care services to the public”.
In the UK, vaccinations are not mandatory, but rather work on a system of informed consent (here).
VERDICT
Untrue. The contract is not to develop a vaccine passport, but to develop a certificate system for people who have tested negative for COVID-19.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.