[ad_1]
An International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis is displayed in front of Berlaymont, the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on March 13, 2021. / Getty
An International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis is displayed in front of Berlaymont, the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on March 13, 2021. / Getty
Editor’s note: Daryl Guppy is an expert in international financial technical analysis. It has provided a weekly analysis of the Shanghai Index for mainland Chinese media for more than a decade. Guppy appears regularly on CNBC Asia and is known as “The Chart Man.” He is a member of the national board of the Australia China Business Council. The article reflects the views of the author and not necessarily those of CGTN.
Responses to COVID-19 in 2020 exposed significant gaps in public health policy implementation. Unfortunately, that same dysfunction threatens the resumption of international travel and trade due to the lack of agreement on the form of a COVID-19 passport.
In China, the public health response to COVID-19 was disciplined, coordinated, and effective; in the United States, the response was disjointed with inconsistent standards applied by different states and by political leadership; in the UK, the answer was abject planning and implementation failure.
Some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, kept COVID-19 contained and managed by simply closing their island borders. The celebration of Australia’s low infection rate disguised the failure to develop a nationally recognized track and trace system, with each state setting its own standards for quarantine, tracking and border closure.
People have every reason to hope that post-COVID-19 recovery management will build on the lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case, as some countries are developing their own COVID-19 passport solutions without reference to others. Some other countries are simply not actively considering the issue at the moment.
On one level, developing a secure COVID-19 passport is simply a matter of applying the appropriate technology. It should be a simple solution that uses blockchain security features. The inability to develop COVID-19 track and trace systems in some countries suggests that the problem of an acceptable COVID-19 passport may be more difficult to solve. The passport must contain indisputable proof of vaccination.
Currently, several groups are developing COVID-19 passports. China has just launched its digital version of a health certificate for international travelers. It uses an encrypted QR code based on blockchain security. Singapore has a government-led process. GovTech (Singapore) developed digital COVID-19 test credentials for pre-departure validation of travelers. These are fully compatible with the SafeTravel Singapore program.
The International Air Transport Association and the EU have done considerable work with blockchain-based passports. They are well advanced in the development and adoption of a standard. This initiative is led by companies; so the challenge is to persuade governments to recognize the solutions.
Elsewhere, business organizations are taking the lead. The Australia China Business Council urges the Australian government to support the development of a passport for the COVID-19 vaccine using blockchain technology to help open up international travel. President David Olsson said: “We see an opportunity for the Australian government to work with China and other nations in our region to develop recommended standards for security, authentication, privacy and data sharing.”
Michelle Reeves and Marc Reeves and their family’s passports to Australia seen on the counter, July 27, 2020. / Getty
Michelle Reeves and Marc Reeves and their family’s passports to Australia seen in counterspace, July 27, 2020. / Getty
These varied approaches mean that questions remain about the cross-border compatibility and acceptance of these COVID-19 passports. Mutual recognition of these different approaches is the first barrier to overcome before international travel can truly resume.
However, immunization itself poses a problem. People who have been vaccinated will show persistent historical evidence of a low-level COVID-19 infection. These viral debris can be picked up by serum and nucleic IgM antibody testing regimens and give a positive result for COVID-19.
This can prevent a green mark from appearing on the COVID-19 passport. The suggested solution is that the vaccination test be given top priority over any persistent positive COVID-19 results.
At a deeper, and more alarming level, are the problems associated with the architectural foundations of a COVID-19 passport. It is an issue that worries many business organizations because it goes to the heart of the effectiveness of a COVID-19 passport.
This issue is based on the recognition of a range of vaccines that will provide the platform for a major boost for international tourism and for the resumption of international business and student travel. The COVID-19 passport is not really useful unless it includes and recognizes “approved” vaccination sources that will allow international travel without quarantine.
The architecture of the COVID-19 passport is the key issue because it is based on the mutual recognition of vaccines as suitable to allow travel without quarantine.
A COVID-19 passport requires much more than a green mark. Business groups have an important role to play in ensuring that the operational details of a COVID-19 passport, including mutual recognition of vaccines, truly make international business and tourist travel accessible and possible.
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at [email protected]).
