GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2021) The World Health Organization (WHO) does not rule out introduction of immunization passports for international travel if the situation with COVID-19 changes, Michael Ryan, director of the WHO health emergencies program, said on Friday.
"If you look at the recommendation made by the committee on vaccination for travelers, it says "at the present time." ... Not because that won't be a good idea in the future, but because we are lacking critical evidence regarding whether or not persons who are vaccinated could continue to transmit disease, and whether they can get sick again. ... Nobody in the world, beyond health workers and very vulnerable people have access to vaccines," Ryan said at a briefing.
He stressed that the emergency committee, therefore, does not currently consider it necessary to introduce additional barriers to the movement of people, at least until more data and more vaccines become available.
"That will change over time, and there may be different reasons in the future to do this [to introduce immunization passports]," the expert added.
