SCIENTIA.

Scientific considerations? 

The COVID-19 vaccines (AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) are still in the phase of universal distribution with ongoing widespread testing. In the state of uncertainty - whether the vaccines would effectively immunize people and prevent the host from spreading them - it seems too premature to discuss COVID-19 vaccine passport proposals. Moreover, the details on how to issue the criteria are unclear. How long is the immunity maintained within our bodies? Should we also issue the passports to those only inoculated with a single jab (rather than two complete doses)? Can we ensure the efficacy of the vaccine against the emerging COVID-19 variants? 

* All viruses, including the COVID-19 virus, constantly change over time by mutations that differentiate them from the predominant viruses. It is still in research whether these strains increase transmissibility, mortality rate, and severity of the infections; also, whether it interferes with the protections from the current vaccination and the antibodies’ abilities. The most common COVID-19 variants include: 

​

● Found in UK, a variant called B.1.1.7 can spread more easily and rapidly than other variants. 

● Found in South Africa, a variant called B.1.351.

● Found in Brazil, a variant named P.1 emerged - its mutations may affect its antigenic profile, affecting antibodies generated by previous natural infection or vaccination to recognize and neutralize the virus. 

● First found in India, the Delta variant, considered by government scientists to be between 40% to 80% more transmissible than the previous dominant strain and accounts for around 95% of all new cases in the U.K.[2]

My personal opinion is that even though countries want tourism to be reactivated in Summer 2021 (after the three-month period of launching the vaccine passports), we still need more time to collect large-scale data, observe and study the possible risks and dangers before we we even consider reopening borders.