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The politician even admitted that Restaurants, bars, cinemas and sports venues may deny entry to people who cannot prove they have been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.says Reuters agency.
Asked by the BBC about the possible need to create an immunity passport, Zahawi revealed that the government is studying the question and the technological answers.
The British National Health Service’s mobile application for detecting Covid-19 can, for example, include data on the person’s condition., generally accessible only to doctors, he admitted, after the vaccinated person informed his family doctor about it.
The objective would be to expand the usefulness of the application, which already guarantees the confidentiality and security of the information. “I think the system is likely to be used by restaurants, bars, cinemas and others, such as sports facilities,” he said.service providers who will say:show us that you have been vaccinated.”
“I think people will have to decide,” Zahawi said, “but I think a lot of vendors are likely to get involved in this, like they did with the tracking app when it was launched. The government will look to keep the technology as simple and accessible as possible, he promised.
The idea of the Vice Minister of State for the Covid Vaccination Program may be a way to partially circumvent the problem of creating immunity passports, which is not peaceful and raises several ethical questions.
Violation of freedom and human rights
Dr. Ana Beduschi, from the Law University of Exeter, whose research area covers precisely immunity passports, acknowledged that these “may contribute to a long-term response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but their introduction raises essential questions about the protection of data privacy and human rights “.
“These passports are based on confidential information, to create a new distinction between people based on their state of health, which can be used to determine the degrees of freedom and enjoyment of rights.“remembered.
Julian Savulescu, Senior Lecturer in Ethics at the University of Oxford, considered “unethical NOT to provide immunity passports. The only basis for restricting freedom in a liberal society is when one person becomes a threat to others.” That is the quarantine, isolation and confinement justification. if immunity reduces transmission, those who have it are NOT a threat to others. It is outrageous that your freedom is violated. ”
“It’s like incarceration without cause,” he added.
Asked about the minister’s suggestion, Professor Gino Martini, scientific director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, recalled that “so-called vaccine passports can be made available by pharmacists who apply them.” It is important to ensure that the technology is secure so that it is not distorted, if you didn’t get the vaccine. “
That won’t be the main problem after all, he said. “It is important to realize that Vaccine tests have only shown that they reduce the likelihood of developing Covid-19 and alleviate the severity of symptoms. It is not yet known how they will affect transmission.“What we need now is a comprehensive vaccination system that benefits everyone,” Martini advised.
Under control
The UK will end on Wednesday December 2, a severe period of lockdown at the national level. The Minister of Health, Matt Hancock, thanked the public for their support on Monday and guaranteed that “we got the virus back under control”. The quarantine reduced the number of cases by 30 percent, he added.
The lockdown will be followed by the imposition of restrictions with the country divided by affected areas.
At a press conference in Downing Street, Hancock also acknowledged that the government has been looking at the issue raised by Zahawi “and the impact on people in terms of what they can do.”
“First, we are not going to make the vaccine mandatory,” he guaranteed. “But I think that by promoting vaccination, we will have a large proportion of people in this country who will take it, because it not only protects the person but also their loved ones and the community.”
For Nadhim Zahawi, the big immediate problem will be defining the priorities for access to vaccines for Christmas which is approved for public use.
But the deputy minister, who came from the economic area of the Boris Johnson government and whose mission will be to close the gap between the ministries of economy and health, also faces a growing opposition movement against the restrictions, vaccination and doubts regarding his own . pandemic, which has already led to several street demonstrations, with thousands of people without social distance and without a mask.
Therefore, the politician would like to see a greater participation of companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter in the monitoring of content against vaccines and pandemic restrictions.
The message, he said, should be that the vaccine is good for the community and the country.
The questions about the immune passport do not concern the person responsible for the British vaccination program against Covid-19 at the moment.
The application Zahawi refers to, originally designed to track contacts and warn of the possibility of contagion with SARS-CoV-2, has been constantly updated.. For example, it will automatically include information from this week on the restrictions applied in the area where the person is located, instead of the user being forced to search for them by zip code.
And next week In England and Wales, the latest version, 4, will include a potentially attractive new feature, allowing authorities to alert you that you are in prophylactic isolation using automated advice..
In the UK, anyone who receives a direct human order from health authorities to stay home due to possible contagion is entitled to £ 500. But the privacy guarantees of the detection app have made it impossible to receive support when the app gives the same advice automatically.
There are caveats that many people face an impossible choice, as staying home would reduce their sources of income to impractical levels. The new feature is expected to overcome the problem and attract more users in the coming weeks, as adherence has been weak., despite all the guarantees of confidentiality and security.
The answer to the problems has been given as they arise.
