by RAHIMI YUNUS / file pic by AFP

Issues related to the vaccination certificate in terms of ethics, effectiveness and geopolitical tensions could hamper the turnaround in the tourism sector expected by the program.

Xiao Chun Xu, deputy director and economist at Moody’s Analytics, said at first sight that a vaccination record bypasses the need to wait for herd immunity in visitors’ home countries, but the situation is more complex.

However, despite immunity to symptoms, vaccinated visitors are still able to contract Covid-19 and pass the disease on to other people during their trip or carry it home.

He added that visitors must be tested for Covid-19 antigens at least upon arrival in the host country.

In addition, Xiao said an easily accessible digital transcript of Covid-19 health records raises public concerns about data security and confidentiality, as well as verification and authentication uncertainty.

“Although a vaccination record could encourage uptake of the vaccine, there are ethical concerns that citizens could be excluded from social activities such as eating in restaurants or accessing gyms and swimming pools.

“Social inequality and limited access to vaccines, especially in developing Asia, could deter the widespread use of vaccination passports,” Xiao said in a report by Moody’s Analytics.

He also said early discussions about vaccination certificates create geopolitical tension, along with many other aspects of the pandemic.
For example, he said the European Union has proposed that only those vaccinated with vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency can get a digital green pass.

This means that Chinese vaccines exported to EU member states such as Hungary and the Czech Republic are not qualified.

According to Xiao, vaccination has been relatively slow in Asia, so herd immunity is achieved later than in the US and Europe.

He said China has faced many supply problems that have left it behind its economic competitors in vaccine distribution.

“We therefore expect herd immunity to be achieved relatively late, which increases the need for a vaccination record,” added Xiao.