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Immunization certificates may be needed to attend social gatherings or sporting events once the majority of the population is vaccinated.
At the launch of the National Covid-19 Vaccination Program, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the certificates could play a key role in the fight against coronavirus if the vaccine significantly reduces the transmission of the disease.
Certificates are being considered for air travel in the EU, but they can also be used to allow greater attendance at mass gatherings once most people are vaccinated.
A government source said “nothing is ruled out” in terms of how the certificates will be used, but noted that other countries have tested their use to attend events.
However, the Government is waiting to see the impact of the vaccination program on the spread of the disease before deciding how the certificates can be used.
Talks between EU member states are ongoing and international airline Qantas has said it will require passengers to have certificates.
Donnelly said he expects the use of vaccine certificates to “evolve” as more is known about the impact of vaccines in the coming months.
“If it was the case that there was a big impact in trying to massively reduce transmissibility, then we can think about choosing vaccine certificates in a particular way,” he said.
“If it turns out that it is actually a marginal impact on transmissibility, then we might have to think about it differently.”
Donnelly also revealed that the vaccination program can start before the end of the year if the European Medicines Agency approves the Pfizer vaccine before December 21.
However, the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine may be delayed if there is another spike in the virus after Christmas and New Years.
The warning is sounded in the report by the high-level vaccine task force that said a third spike would affect the speed at which the vaccine is released in the coming months.
It comes when eight more deaths related to Covid-19 and 329 more cases of the virus were reported yesterday.
Another 196 patients with the virus are hospitalized, 31 of them in intensive care, which does not show a significant decrease.
The task force report said that if there is another spike in cases, the deployment will suffer because a number of personnel who perform the vaccines may not be available and high-risk groups, such as nursing home residents, should be protected from risk.
A spokeswoman for Pfizer Ireland said: “Our goal is to start the first shipment as soon as possible, possibly within hours of receiving clearance or approval from any regulatory agency.
“We can only supply countries once regulatory authorization or approval has been granted, and we will supply each country with the vaccine doses through a robust process, in accordance with the agreements we have entered into.”
In a briefing on the vaccine program, Professor Brian McCraith, who chaired the task force, revealed that tertiary educational institutions can be used as vaccination centers.
Professor McCraith said he had spoken with University Limerick, University College Cork, Waterford IT, and GMIT about using their campuses to administer vaccines.
The executive director of the Medical Devices Regulatory Authority, Dr. Lorraine Nolan, said that “it is simply not possible” to say that the vaccine will be “completely risk-free.”
However, Dr. Nolan said that if there are reactions, they will be mild, such as fever.
He said the chance of a negative reaction to the vaccine is less than one in 100,000. He said this should be compared to the 8 percent of people who end up in the hospital with serious conditions after contracting Covid-19.
“The underlying disease itself far outweighs any potential effects associated with the vaccine,” he added.
Medical Director Tony Holohan said the vaccine will not have an impact on the trajectory of the virus in the coming months.
“In the meantime, we have to do everything we can to save lives now,” he said. He cautioned against socializing during Christmas, especially if you are meeting the elderly or vulnerable.
Irish independent
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