Vaccine Passports Could Benefit Canadians, Says Canada’s Chief Science Advisor

April 18, 2021 Jim Byers

A Canadian government study says vaccine passports could be useful for Canadian residents both abroad and at home. But the report stops short of recommending them.

A report by Canada’s chief science advisor, Dr. Mona Nemer, says the nation’s Chief Science Advisor Expert Panel met several times in February and March to discuss the issue. The report was quietly released on March 31 of this year.

The report notes that important information will have to be considered for COVID-19 vaccine certificates, “such as durability of immunity and efficacy at reducing infection and virus transmission.” Each vaccine type, such as Pfizer or AstraZeneca, will have to be considered separately, Nemer said.

“Assuming that vaccines limit disease spread, proof of COVID-19 vaccination may also be used to facilitate safer domestic and international travel or for safer reopening of the economy,” her report states. “As mentioned above, present evidence suggests that fully vaccinated individuals, i.e., those who have received the full two-dose vaccine regimen, have a decreased risk of spreading the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In all instances, consideration must be given to individuals not eligible to be vaccinated (e.g., children under 16, or those with medical conditions) and alternatives offered.”

Nemer’s report outlines options for such passports or certificates to be used for both domestic and international travel.

DOMESTIC

“Some Canadian provinces and territories have put in place quarantine requirements for interprovincial travellers or restricted travel access in order to control the pandemic,” she said. “There could be interest in using vaccination certificates to permit safe travel between provinces, eliminate the need to quarantine, and protect remote and vulnerable communities.”

INTERNATIONAL

“Several countries are using or considering the use of COVID-19 vaccination certificates for travel with digital solutions; in the future the requirement for a negative COVID-19 test and quarantine could be replaced with a vaccination certificate or a combination of test and vaccination certificate. Current costs of travel related to testing and quarantine are significant. If vaccination certificates increase safety and ease some costs, this could be a significant benefit for Canadians, many of whom have been unable to visit their families within and outside Canada for some time.”

Nemer also talks about the potential use of such certificates or passports for access to services or public spaces.

“For many Canadians, an important benefit of vaccination is a return to normal, pre-COVID life, including access to certain venues and activities. Vaccination certificates could be used to congregate in larger gatherings such as sporting events, music concerts and festivals. They could also be used to physically return to work, especially in higher-risk workplaces where mask wearing and/or maintaining physical distance is difficult or impossible.”

Nemer says there are ethical issues to consider.

“In the absence of universal access to vaccines, if vaccination certificates are used to gain access to different spaces, this could create a “haves” and “have nots” dynamic between those who are vaccinated and those who are not, and lead to tensions among communities. In addition, special attention needs to be directed to certain racialized, Indigenous and disadvantaged communities.

“These communities may lack trust in established medical institutions and/or their governments due to historical harms, such as experimentation without consent in residential schools and persistent inequitable care experienced in the medical system, leading to comparatively low vaccination intentions. This could amplify the already disproportionate impact of the pandemic on these groups.

“Access to vaccines also requires consideration of the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 is having on population groups with pre-existing social and medical vulnerabilities.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said vaccine passports for international travel are not unsual around the world, citing the requirement by many countries that visitors have inoculations for  yellow fever or other infectious diseases.

Their use on the domestic front, as is the case in Israel, would likely be far more controversial.

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