Dr. Anthony Fauci, who will be chief medical adviser to President-Elect Joe Biden, told Newsweek Magazine that it’s possible that COVID-19 vaccines will become mandatory in order to travel to other countries.
Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it is possible that the United States could potentially issue COVID-19 vaccine passports.
The U.S. will not be the first country to require such documentation. Take Qantas Airlines that announced in November once a vaccine is readily available, passengers will need to prove that they had taken it.
In light of this, mobile health apps like VeriFLY, CommonPass, and ICC AOKpass are being tested so travelers can quickly and effortlessly present their health data. The Commons Project together with The World Economic Forum is working to initiate the CommonPass framework that will ensure a traveler’s record of a COVID PCR test or vaccination administered in another country is valid.
“The members of the CommonTrust Network are coming together to implement an inclusive global network designed to empower individuals with digital access to their health information so they can protect and improve their health and demonstrate their health status to safely return to travel, work, school, and life, while protecting their data privacy,” said Paul Meyer, CEO of The Commons Project Foundation, in a statement. “We welcome collaboration with public and private stakeholders across many sectors, including Airport Council International World and IATA in aviation.”
For more information on The Commons Project Foundation, click here. For a look at the vaccine rollout across the United States, go here.
