Covid-19 has turned the entire world into a pandemic mode. Every country and territory employs measures to protect its people, including closing borders to prevent transmission. Two years into the pandemic, various measures were made to ensure the virus was contained and its spread was controlled. One way of limiting the spread of the virus is by having a vaccine passport.
What is a vaccine passport, and why is it necessary?
A vaccine passport (วัคซีน พาสปอร์ต, term in Thai) is a document indicating you receive the necessary vaccine against a particular disease. It is not a new concept, for it has been around since endemic diseases arise, such as measles, tuberculosis, and yellow fever, to name a few. If you live in areas where there is an outbreak of a particular disease, you would be required to have a vaccine passport before you are allowed to enter a certain country or territory.
What vital information can be found in a vaccine passport?
A vaccine passport should contain everything about your vaccine histories, such as health records, test results, and contact tracing information. If you are travelling to a place where there is a strict covid protocol, you will be required to have a vaccine passport before you are allowed to enter their territory.
Digital vaccine passports
Although vaccine passports are not new, it is the nature of Covid-19 that makes things all the more complicated. Some people don’t comply with the vaccination requirement because of fear and misconception. It leads to fake vaccine passports being sold online. To prevent this fraud, there is a proposed digital vaccine passport. It contains pretty much everything about a person’s health information, although there are fears that it could somehow invade a person’s privacy. Experts suggest that it wouldn’t be much of a problem for as long as the information is kept private and will be used solely for health protocols.
The significance of vaccine passport
A vaccine passport is essential in this time and age as it is proof that you have tested negative for Covid-19. The call to modernize vaccine passports means that you have the option to present the vaccine passport in a physical (small paper card) and phone app. You have to carry it with you wherever you go, as many establishments need it to ensure you are not a carrier of the virus. Today, many business establishments require you to have a vaccine passport before entering their premises, such as restaurants, malls, gyms, or movie theatres.
As the Covid-19 surge continues, having a vaccine passport is a must. Its use is not only for an internal purpose but also for international travel, especially if you are travelling in countries with strict Covid-19 protocols. If you are concerned about the privacy of your health records, don’t be, as your health record will be handled with strict privacy. It will only be used for health protocol and contact tracing purposes. One thing is for sure – a vaccine passport in place will help limit the spread of infection.
