WHO does not endorse vaccine passports at this time.
The World Health Organization (WHO) does not support requiring people who want to travel between countries to have a vaccine passport.
WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris made the comments, citing current uncertainty about whether vaccination prevents the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as concerns about equity.
“WHO does not want to see vaccine passports as a requirement for entry or exit at this time because we are not sure that vaccines prevent transmission at this stage,” said Margaret Harris.
“There is also the question of discrimination against people who are unable to get vaccinated for one reason or another,” Ms. Harris said at a UN press conference.
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| Some countries are considering issuing vaccine passports (verified vaccination) to their citizens. |
WHO is currently planning to review theCovid-19 vaccineChina's Sinopharm and Sinovac are expected to be listed for emergency use around the end of April.
“It’s not coming as quickly as we would like because we need more data,” Ms. Harris said. A WHO spokesperson declined to provide further information, citing confidentiality.
Last month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries with surplus vaccine supplies to urgently donate 10 million doses to the Covax facility.
India's export restrictions have left the vaccine-sharing program short of supplies of AstraZeneca's drug, made by the Serum Institute of India.
Covax Facility is the "Global Access to Covid-19 Vaccines" mechanism. Covax was established to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for all countries. Covax currently has 92 members.
