RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The debate over a Covid-19 immunity passport will gain momentum on the international scene, and may lead Brazil to take a decision. It could suffer isolation if its vaccination pace remains as it stands now, sources in Europe say.
If countries proceed toward a free flow system of passengers based on vaccination, for example, the logic is that a kind of sanitary cordon will be enforced on people who remain out of this tourism, business travel, and international mobility circuit.
Europe is trying to increase its immunization and the USA with President Biden in the White House has markedly stepped up vaccination. The Americans will soon be looking to open up their economy further and kick-start air travel and tourism in general.
Israel has become the first country to introduce an immunity passport, capitalizing on its high vaccination rate. The UK is negotiating bilateral agreements with Greece, Cyprus, and possibly Spain, to free up British tourist flows next summer.
Spain, itself heavily dependent on tourism, concedes that it is examining vaccination passports. Thailand is also considering policies to accept the immunity passport.
However, for now there is overwhelming resistance to the idea, and this may surface at the next World Health Assembly in May. For one major emerging country source, vaccination passports will further expose the unequal handling of vaccines, with some countries having access while many others do not.
Germany and France have so far been reluctant to support the concept, at least at a time when their vaccination rates are low.
The potential introduction of an immunity passport is not yet on the World Health Assembly’s agenda, scheduled for May. But sources believe that the discussion may become necessary.
In Brazil’s case, under the current situation, there is even a risk that its borders will be closed for some time, given the collapse of healthcare caused by poor management in fighting the pandemic.