Passions for an Immunity Passport: Who could get it and who would have to stay out the door?

Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Šimašius proposed such a plan to the country’s Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonyte. According to the mayor, the introduction of such an immunity passport would help save some of the now-closed business, encourage citizens to test more frequently, and address pent-up public emotional health issues.

The proposal provides that the benefits of an immunity passport will be available to three groups of citizens: those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, those who have been ill or who have had a negative test a few days ago.

There is hardly any discussion about the first two groups: vaccinated and relapsed. But the passions are fueled by the third group. It is being considered whether it is really a good idea to allow non-sick and unvaccinated people to visit different places, but only pregnant women. Because the test is a very temporary measure, as soon as it is done, a person can reunite with the patient and become infected.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė also spoke about the Immunity Passport. According to her, the technical solution for the immunity passport has already been decided, but it is not yet clear what to include in the immunity passport and who will pay for the tests.

“Basically, the passport has been decided as a technical solution. Perhaps there is a bigger dispute about whether that passport should be used as well, or the sign could be not only a disease and a vaccine, but also a negative test,” said I. Šimonyt on Thursday.

Teacher. Chaplinsk would support the inclusion of a negative test

We asked Professor Saulius Čaplinskas, specialist in infectious diseases, about the proposal to include holders of a negative test in the immunity passport.

“A year ago, in April, I voiced the idea, as did other WHO experts, that such covid certificates could make sense in risk management. Consequently, easing the restrictions, relaxing the quarantine. Still, it’s clear that the disease has come a long way and that pandemic fatigue has been around for a long time. As a result, all possible measures must be taken to reduce and manage risk. It is not just a matter of seeing restrictions and prohibitions that have been clear for a long time that they are no longer effective, ”said the specialist.

Therefore, according to the interlocutor, it is necessary to try not to think again about what to close, but about how to manage and reduce risk in each situation. And a negative test result could help ensure that.

“If we think so, especially in a medical sense, it goes without saying that a person who has undergone one or another test can reduce the risk,” said prof. S. Čaplinskas.

The interviewee is skeptical of the discussion that no test is 100 percent. and the possibility of infection after the test. This may be the case for all communicable diseases, but testing remains a pandemic management and risk reduction tool.

Also, the vaccine does not provide 100 percent. protection.

“Every person who gets vaccinated will develop immunity differently, some will not even get immunity even after being vaccinated, some may not get it at all. But if we say that, we will mislead people. If we follow this logic, we should get vaccinated. So we still have to study how many neutralizing antibodies a person has formed, how many immune memory cells have formed, that is absurd.

100 percent. such covid passports will never be able to provide security. It would be a clear tool for personal risk management and, secondly, to maximize openness of services and communication between people to the public, as well as between people from different countries. If we follow this logic, it goes without saying that I would support the inclusion of a negative test in immunity passports, ”said the professor.

How long should a negative test last?

According to the interlocutor, how long a negative test in an immunity passport should be valid is a technical question and in agreement. The specialist emphasizes that it must be remembered that these types of passports will probably be necessary not only this season but also the next.

Also, revaccination is expected next year. This means that when those who have not been vaccinated get vaccinated now, those who have been vaccinated in the past probably already need to be revaccinated.

“The duration of a test depends on the purpose and the activity for which it is intended. And that time can change. However, this combat document can certainly be used widely. If we talk about restaurants, perhaps the test should be valid for a The cinema could last longer, but a medical mask would still be needed there, ”said Prof S. Čaplinskas.

The professor emphasizes that the test results must be in a digitized system, and the confidentiality of human data must be guaranteed: “Today, it would really be possible to do it quickly. It really could be a tool to open a business and communicate more securely. “

Doubts about whether a negative test is a safe option

On Wednesday, the president of the Seimas, the liberal Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, expressed doubts about the immunity passport on her Facebook account. He wondered if the rush to introduce an immunity passport would not turn into a bear vaccination service.

“Basically, I am in favor of an immunity passport that would open the door to further communication. However, I am also in favor of a very responsible assessment of the criteria for obtaining such a ‘passport.’ I understand Israel, where the ‘passport’ came from. green ‘when about half of the people were vaccinated with both vaccines and even more so with the first vaccine. Clearly safe. It also worked as an incentive for skeptics to get vaccinated, “wrote V. Čmilytė-Nielsen on Facebook.

The Seimas president said he understood that those who had fallen ill could also be included in the criteria.

“At least 3 months they have immunity. And it is not difficult to prove. But then how long would an immunity passport be valid for those people? For me, for example, the antibodies dropped dramatically within 4 months after the illness. After 5-6 months, I wonder if I would be safe, ”said V. Čmilytė-Nielsen.

He also questions the criterion of “negative evidence” to obtain such a passport.

“It just came to our attention then. 4 infected, although, according to the organizers, all were examined and admitted to the event with only negative tests,” wrote V. Čmilytė-Nielsen.

He wonders how long that passport will be issued for. “For the day? I understand that the tests on the way to work: coming, having received a negative test, means not being sick. But that does not mean that you will not get sick in a week. Therefore, employees should be tested continuously. As members of the Seimas they test themselves before the sessions. Therefore, I believe that if we really care about safety, we should not rush with those decisions, “said V. Čmilytė-Nielsen.

Professor Vytautas Usonis spoke about the immunity passport and the inclusion of a negative test in it a little earlier. The professor supported the idea that immunity passports should be short-term and not for life. Its duration of action should depend on how long the vaccine or disease provides protection on average. Unfortunately, no one knows exactly yet.

The interviewee recalled that some equivalent to an immunity passport has long been a vaccine passport approved by the World Health Organization. And some countries cannot even enter without certain vaccines. In Africa, for example, we are requesting the yellow butterfly vaccine, and in some places it cannot be obtained without the meningococcal vaccine.

“There is also a political question of where immunity passports will be recognized, whether they will be recognized by all European countries and for how long. But we need to talk about what we know. If, based on scientific evidence, the duration of immunity, this is the minimum duration and could be recorded in passports. But I would be very skeptical if we were talking about immunity passports for those people who were not sick or vaccinated, but only after taking the test. I would be very skeptical about entering such information in the immunity passport, verifying that a person is not infected at this time does not mean that the person is safe, ”said Prof V. Usonis.

Immediately after taking the test, a person can come into contact with the patient and then become ill, although this time the test was still negative. For a short time, the test, according to the professor, is certainly a certain safety criterion. But such an option is not suitable for an immunity passport.