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Recently, countries like Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Chile, UK, etc. have announced new digital corona passports (also referred to as immunity passports or release/risk-free certificates), in order to ease travel restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
About Immunity Passports
- These digital documents would enable people to travel or return to work based on the assumption that having contracted the disease once, they would be immune to it for a considerable period of time.
- These do not prove immunity to the virus, but instead, be issued to those who had finished a mandatory quarantine after testing positive for the disease.
- The certificates would attest one of three things, that the holder
- Has been vaccinated.
- Has tested negative for the virus.
- Has recovered from it.
(Image Courtesy: Indian Express)
Logic Behind the Idea
- The natural immunity developed in a person after any infection protects them from contracting the disease again.
- Once infected with a virus, the body’s innate immune response kicks in, slowing the spread of the virus, which is then followed by an “adaptive response”.
- Under the adaptive response, the body makes antibodies, which bind to the virus and help eliminate it. If this response is strong enough, it may even prevent re-infection from the same pathogen.
- According to studies, the majority of Covid-19 patients produced antibodies “potentially providing immunity to reinfection”.
- On this basis, such passports will be issued to those who are deemed to be immune and may be able to get back to work and resume a normal life.
Benefits
- Easy Travel: With the easing of lockdowns, people would want to travel for various reasons and people with ‘immunity’ are able to move freely.
- Boost for Economy: As the immune people will safely return to work and the international travel re-opens after so long, economies will start reviving.
- Increased Support: Doctors, other healthcare workers, and security personnel can return to their jobs and help the existing workforce.
Concerns Highlighted
- The World Health Organization (WHO) warned against using such certificates.
- There is not enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee the accuracy of such passports.
- Further, even if immunity from Covid-19 is considered, the duration of such immunity is not known yet.
- The use of such certificates may increase the risks of continued transmission.
- People who assume they are immune to a second infection because they have received a positive test result may ignore public health advice.
- The move has been criticized for being both scientifically and ethically controversial.
- Experts have cautioned governments against rapid actions as much still remains to be understood about the spread of the virus and the immunity to it.
- Issuing such certificates would create resentment among members of the community, and raise the possibility of stigmatization.
- Lack of crucial information would make categorizing between immune and non-immune persons a challenging as well as potentially dangerous task.
- Such measures may also lead to corruption and bias, which could be reflected in the administration of certification to discriminate against vulnerable groups.
Suggestions
- The number of people who can participate in social, civic, and economic activities should be limited.
- Vaccine certificates, which are fundamentally different from immunity passports, may be an effective way to start lifting physical distancing measures, but this can also be implemented once a vaccine is administered.
