Can We Benefit from a Vaccine Passport?
With Former President Donald Trump’s Operation ‘Warp Speed’ well underway in the United States, politicians like NYC Mayoral Candidate Andrew Yang have fielded the idea of a ‘vaccine passport’. What this passport entails differs from proposer to proposer, but the general idea is that the passport — a certification that one has been vaccinated, should allow one access to things that the non-vaccinated won’t.
As Singapore begins to kickstart her own vaccination programme, it is worth our while to take a quick look at this idea, especially since Minister Lawrence Wong had brought it up in a recent press conference.
He added that for now, the Government is not looking into imposing more restrictions for unvaccinated persons, since there are people who are not advised to be vaccinated due to medical reasons. (Today Online, January 19th 2021)
Minister Wong’s phrasing may be a little confusing, but essentially he means that those who are either unable or unwilling to get vaccinated would not face any additional restrictions on top of the ones that Phase 3 have set out; dining in groups of 8, watching movies, and attending small functions are still intended to be allowed, for now. Whether or not Phase 4 will only apply to the vaccinated is up for speculation.
So why are people worldwide suggesting the idea of a vaccine passport? The logic behind it is this; since vaccinated individuals won’t be able to contract or transmit COVID-19, it is hence safe for them to mingle and mix around with each other. However, this logic is flawed.
Vaccinated individuals can still be infected with COVID-19, as the vaccine only allows one to be able to fight off the adverse effects virus. This means that for a short period of time, individuals can still shed the virus, infecting others, possibly family members who are unvaccinated and unable to fight off the virus. Pfizer and researchers still do not know if getting vaccinated means that you will not be able to spread the virus to others should you contract it.
So why get vaccinated in the first place?
The simple answer is that getting vaccinated protects you. You getting vaccinated guarantees that should you contract COVID-19, you won’t end up in an hospital fighting for your life. The economic, social, and psychological impacts of mass hospitalisations and deaths are very clear, and the full extent of them still remains to be felt.
A vaccine passport seems like a knee-jerk reaction out of excitement for the idea that we may one day return to normalcy. We will, but not this quickly. This is why governments around the world have emphasised that mass vaccinations do not spell an end to masks and social distancing. The virus may continue to spread even after mass vaccinations, and those who are not vaccinated will suffer the consequences.
For updates related to COVID-19 vaccination efforts, refer to official government sources such as the Ministry of Health.
