What Place Should COVID-19 Vaccine Passports Have in Society?
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Rapid expert deliberation 17 February 2021 What place should COVID-19 vaccine passports have in society? Findings from a rapid deliberation with multidisciplinary experts to consider the risks and benefits of the potential roll-out of digital vaccine certification schemes. The views put forward below in these deliberation Introduction findings reflect a snapshot of our understanding of the evidence and the development In recent weeks, vaccine passports of technical tools. The urgency of the issue or COVID-19 status apps – which might give meant – by necessity – this was a limited some individuals greater access to travel, exercise. Nevertheless, some clear areas employment or entertainment – have attracted of concern emerged. attention as a route to move societies out of lockdown and open up parts of the economy. • The expert group came to the view that, at present, vaccination status does not offer With momentum building, the Ada Lovelace clear or conclusive evidence about any Institute convened an urgent expert deliberation individual’s risk to others via transmission. to consider how governments should act, chaired Without that, it cannot be a robust basis for by Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery. A group risk-based decision making, and therefore of 17 experts from the fields of immunology, any roll out of a digital passport is not epidemiology, sociology, international currently justified. development, behavioural science, law, medical • However, given that evidence history, public health, ethics, digital identity and on transmission will emerge, and other technical system design came together across countries and companies are developing two weeks to discuss the evidence, deliberate such systems, the UK Government must act on use cases, explore opportunities and risks, urgently to address the public policy issues and identify areas of consensus to support that arise, and create clear and specific government decision makers around the world.1 guidelines and law around any appropriate uses, mechanisms for enforcement and methods of legal redress. 1 The deliberation forms part of a wider project, which also consists of an international call for evidence and a series of public events. The Ada Lovelace Institute will publish a longer report in March taking all of the evidence into consideration, and answering some of the questions raised by the expert deliberation. Ada Lovelace Institute COVID-19 vaccine passports and society 2 • While vaccine passports will be seen There are broad social benefits that flow from by some as a way to increase freedom, loosening restrictions on social distancing and for those without a passport they would many hope that passports might help do this constitute a denial of liberties that safely. In particular, arguments are made for: others are being granted. Therefore the justifications both for the relaxation • Public health – making the community of current restrictions for some and also safer. The effectiveness of this approach for their continuation for others should is based on the premise that only those who be clearly articulated. will not transmit the virus are able to take • The Government will need to take part in activities that would normally present a clear position outlining the specific a risk of transmission. But this aim is not purposes and use cases for which, if any, scientifically advisable at present, as it has vaccine passports can be legally and not been established that vaccination status legitimately used. reduces the risk of transmission to others • In allowing some uses or actively (as opposed to the risk of the vaccinated facilitating digital vaccine passports, person contracting COVID-19). governments must address the issues and • Personal liberty – enhancing the freedoms risks arising from such schemes or the of those who have a passport to do things creation of related digital infrastructure, that would otherwise be restricted due and whether and how these risks could to COVID-19 (always noting that granting be mitigated. permissions for some will, in relative terms, increase the loss of liberty experienced A vaccine passport as defined here consists by others). This could have a particularly of three things: health information (vaccine profound benefit for those facing extreme status through e.g. a certificate), verification harm and isolation due to the virus, for of identity (connecting the holder to that example those in care homes unable to see certificate) and authorisation for the purpose relatives. of allowing or blocking actions (a pass). • Economic benefits – supporting industries (and the wider economy) struggling Most passport models currently focus in lockdown by enabling phased opening, on displaying a vaccination status (rather than for example in entertainment, leisure and a more granular or ‘live’ assessment of risk, hospitality. which might incorporate other information) so this was the primary focus of our discussions. Technology companies across the world are However, many of the points below also relate developing tools and standards in expectation to other passport models, including those that vaccine passports and COVID-19 status based on negative COVID-19 antigen tests and apps could become instrumental to a move tests showing antibodies after infection. from national lockdowns to a more open and mobile society. There are intuitive attractions to the idea of a vaccine passport in relation to the hope that IBM has launched Digital Health Pass, a better balance could be found between integrated with Salesforce’s employee economic activity and community safety, management platform Work.com. by allowing a more fine-grained and targeted CommonPass, supported by the World set of restrictions than sweeping measures Economic Forum, and the International Air or national lockdowns. Transport Association (IATA)’s Travel Pass are both being trialled by airlines. Ada Lovelace Institute COVID-19 vaccine passports and society 3 The Linux Foundation Public Health’s In the UK, the Government has yet to take COVID-19 Credentials Initiative and the a clear position on whether to introduce Vaccination Credential Initiative, which vaccine passports, domestically or for includes Microsoft and Oracle, are pushing for international travel. The Government has open interoperable standards. A marketplace said there aren’t current plans to introduce of smaller, private actors has also emerged vaccine passports but some ministers have offering bespoke solutions and infrastructures. left the door open to digital passporting schemes when circumstances change. The Since the start of the pandemic, a number Government appears to be keeping its options of countries have demonstrated interest open by funding a number of startups piloting in some form of ‘immunity passport’ based similar technology and reportedly instructing on natural immunity and antibodies after officials to draw up draft options for vaccine infection with COVID-19 (including Germany certificates for international travel. and the UK, and a pilot in Estonia), but a lack of evidence about the protection acquired Given its comparatively high vaccination rate through natural immunity meant few schemes – and high infection rate – the UK may be one were used in real world scenarios. of the first countries to have vaccinated a sizeable proportion of the country (currently The World Health Organisation (WHO) put a fifth of their population has received at least out a clear statement saying there was ‘not one dose) while remaining in national lockdown enough evidence about the effectiveness with schools closed, many workers furloughed, of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee and international and most domestic travel the accuracy of an “immunity passport” banned. How the UK manages the challenge or “risk-free certificate”,’ and that ‘the use of a transition out of lockdown is therefore of such certificates may therefore increase the likely to be of international interest. risks of continued transmission’. The approval and roll out of effective vaccines have re-energised the idea of restoring personal freedoms and societal mobility based on certification of COVID vaccination. A number of countries have made explicit calls for the development of such a tool. The WHO has shifted their stance by announcing plans to develop a digitally enhanced International Certificate of Vaccination and established the Smart Vaccination Certificate consortium with Estonia. Ada Lovelace Institute COVID-19 vaccine passports and society 4 Deliberation findings 1. Governments must act urgently At present, vaccination status does not to create clear and specific guidelines offer clear or conclusive evidence about any and law around any uses, mechanisms individual’s risk to others via transmission. for enforcement and methods of legal Vaccination status can never offer absolutely redress of vaccine passports. conclusive evidence of an individual’s risk to others (or their own risk), since no vaccine The evidence around transmission will will be 100% effective for 100% of recipients. develop, and that information must continue to inform future decision making. It seems 3. Passport systems would need likely that national requirements put in place to be flexible if they are to address by some countries will trigger the need for the development of mutations, such internationally accepted certification, and as the E484K mutation, found in South many systems are in development. While African, Brazilian and now UK variants some experts felt