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COPENHAGEN: The World Health Organization said it was considering introducing electronic vaccination certificates, as hopes of ending the pandemic rose after Britain became the first country to approve the use of a COVID-19 vaccine. .
“We are looking very closely at the use of technology in this response to COVID-19 and one of them is how we can work with member states towards something called an electronic vaccination certificate,” said WHO Europe expert Siddhartha Datta. , at an online press conference on Thursday (December 3).
The introduction of such a certificate, which would make it possible to identify and monitor people who have been vaccinated, has not been finalized and would have to be drawn up in accordance with national laws, Datta said.
READ: Global death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 1.5 million as nations plan vaccine
It would not be a passport of immunity, which is supposed to ensure that its bearer is protected against disease because he has been infected and recovered.
“We do not recommend immunity passports,” said Catherine Smallwood, WHO emergency officer for Europe.
Technology expert Estonia earlier this year began testing an app that could serve as a kind of digital “immunity passport,” allowing users with antibodies to show employers and others their reduced risk of spreading the coronavirus .
Britain on Wednesday became the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and the European Medicines Agency is due to announce its decision by December 29 at the latest.
READ: WHO Reviews Pfizer Vaccine for Possible Emergency List: Statement
The WHO European zone, which covers 53 countries, including Russia, has recorded more than 19.3 million infections and more than 433,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to its data table, with 1.5 million cases. recorded in the last seven days.
“While we are seeing a slight decrease in the number of cases in Western Europe, this does not mean that the entire European WHO region faces an improvement in the epidemiological situation,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge.
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“The resurgence is moving east with the worst affected countries now in central and southern Europe,” he said, calling on governments not to let their guard down in fighting the pandemic.
In the event of a drop in cases, “consider expanding the public health infrastructure and preparing for the next increase,” he said.
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