Tag Archives: PASSPORTS

World

Chinese rush to renew passports as COVID border curbs lifted

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  • China dropped quarantine for visitors on Sunday
  • Latest move in easing that has let virus run free
  • Several nations demand COVID tests from China travellers
  • Chinese stocks, yuan rally on growth hopes

BEIJING, Jan 9 (Reuters) – People joined long queues outside immigration offices in Beijing on Monday, eager to renew their passports after China dropped COVID border controls that had largely prevented its 1.4 billion residents from travelling for three years.

Sunday’s reopening is one of the last steps in China’s dismantling of its “zero-COVID” regime, which began last month after historic protests against curbs that kept the virus at bay but caused widespread frustration among its people.

Waiting to renew his passport in a line of more than 100 people in China’s capital, 67-year-old retiree Yang Jianguo told Reuters he was planning to travel to the United States to see his daughter for the first time in three years.

“She got married last year but had to postpone the wedding ceremony because we couldn’t go over to attend it. We’re very glad we can now go,” Yang said, standing alongside his wife.

China’s currency and stock markets strengthened on Monday, as investors bet the reopening could help reinvigorate a $17 trillion economy suffering its lowest growth in nearly half a century.

Beijing’s move to drop quarantine requirements for visitors is expected to boost outbound travel, as residents will not face those restrictions when they return.

But flights are scarce and several nations are demanding negative tests from visitors from China, seeking to contain an outbreak that is overwhelming many of China’s hospitals and crematoriums. China, too, requires pre-departure negative COVID tests from travellers.

China’s top health officials and state media have repeatedly said COVID infections are peaking across the country and they are playing down the threat now posed by the disease.

“Life is moving forward again!,” the official newspaper of the Communist Party, the People’s Daily, wrote in an editorial praising the government’s virus policies late on Sunday which it said had moved from “preventing infection” to “preventing severe disease”.

“Today, the virus is weak, we are stronger.”

Officially, China has reported just 5,272 COVID-related deaths as of Jan. 8, one of the lowest rates of death from the infection in the world.

But the World Health Organization has said China is under-reporting the scale of the outbreak and international virus experts estimate more than one million people in the country could die from the disease this year.

Shrugging off those gloomy forecasts, Asian shares climbed to a five-month high on Monday while China’s yuan firmed to its strongest level against the dollar since mid-August.

China’s blue-chip index (.CSI300) gained 0.7%, while the Shanghai Composite Index (.SSEC) rose 0.5% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (.HSI) climbed 1.6%.

“The ending of the zero-COVID policy is … going to have a major positive impact on domestic spending,” Ralph Hamers, group chief executive officer at UBS, told the Swiss bank’s annual Greater China conference on Monday.

“We believe there is a lot of opportunity for those committed to investing in China.”

‘HUGE RELIEF’

“It’s a huge relief just to be able to go back to normal … just come back to China, get off the plane, get myself a taxi and just go home,” Michael Harrold, 61, a copy editor in Beijing told Reuters at Beijing Capital International Airport on Sunday after he arrived on a flight from Warsaw.

Harrold said he had been anticipating having to quarantine and do several rounds of testing on his return when he left for Europe for a Christmas break in early December.

State broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday that direct flights from South Korea to China were close to sold out. The report quickly shot to the most-read item on Chinese social media site Weibo.

In the near term, a spike in demand from travellers will be hampered by the limited number of flights to and from China, which are currently at a small fraction of pre-COVID levels.

Flight Master data showed that on Sunday, China had a total of 245 international inbound and outbound flights, compared with 2,546 flights on the same day in 2019 – a fall of 91%.

Korean Air said earlier this month that it was halting a plan to increase flights to China due to Seoul’s cautious stance towards Chinese travellers. South Korea like many other countries now requires travellers from China, Macau and Hong Kong to provide negative COVID test results before departure.

Taiwan, which started testing arrivals from China on Jan. 1, said on Monday that nearly 20% of those tested so far were positive for COVID.

China’s domestic tourism revenue in 2023 is expected to recover to 70-75% of pre-COVID levels, but the number of inbound and outbound trips is forecast to recover to only 30-40% of pre-COVID levels this year, China News reported on Sunday.

Reporting by Yew Lun Tian, Liz Lee, Josh Arslan, Eduardo Baptista and Sophie Yu in Beijing; Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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US

U.S. to issue gender neutral passports, take steps to combat anti- transgender laws

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WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) – Americans will be allowed to choose an X for gender on their passport applications and select their sex on Social Security cards, the Biden administration said on Thursday in announcing measures to support transgender Americans against wave of state laws targeting them.

The State Department in June said U.S. citizens could select their gender on applications without having to submit medical documentation. In October, it issued the first American passport with an “X” gender marker, designed to give nonbinary, intersex and gender-nonconforming people an option other than male or female on their travel document.

“Starting on April 11, U.S. citizens will be able to select an X as their gender marker on their U.S. passport application, and the option will become available for other forms of documentation next year,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

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Americans will also be able to select and add their gender to U.S. Social Security cards without medical documentation, beginning in the fall, the Social Security Administration said. The cards currently do not include gender indicators.

The changes were among several measures announced by the Biden administration to mark a “Transgender Day of Visibility,” a day after the Republican governors of Oklahoma and Arizona signed bills banning transgender athletes from girls’ sports in schools. read more

They joined a growing list of states that have passed or enacted similar laws on a contentious election-year issue. Transgender rights have been pushed to the forefront of the culture wars playing out in parts of the United States in recent years, together with issues such as reproductive rights.

A woman holds passports while waiting to cross at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Ysidro, California January 31, 2008. REUTERS/Fred Greaves/File Photo

“The administration once again condemns the proliferation of dangerous anti-transgender legislative attacks that have been introduced and passed in state legislatures around the country,” the White House said in a statement on initiatives it would take aimed at taking down barriers for transgender people.

They include easing travel, providing resources for transgender children and their families, improving access to federal services and benefits and advancing inclusion and visibility in federal data.

The Transportation Security Administration will implement gender-neutral screening at its checkpoints with changes in imaging technology, reducing the number of pat-down screenings, removing gender identification from checkpoint screenings and updating TSA PreCheck to include an “X” gender marker on its application.

The Department of Health and Human Services released a new website that offers resources for transgender and LGBTQI+ youth, their parents, and providers.

Other agencies will announce new actions to expand the collection and use of sexual orientation and gender identity data, the White House said.

“Every American deserves the freedom to be themselves. But far too many transgender Americans still face systemic barriers, discrimination, and acts of violence,” the White House said.

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Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by William Maclean and Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Health

COVID vaccine passports triggered rush to get shots in countries with low uptake, study finds

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Vaccine passports are effective at convincing people in areas of low vaccination rates to get their shots, a new study finds.

Researchers at the University of Oxford, and England, found that when countries like France, Israel, Italy and Switzerland experienced uptakes of vaccine demand once the jabs became required to go into bars, restaurants and take part in other activities.

Younger people aged between 20 and 40 were notably responsive to the mandates, likely because the introduction of the rule forced them to get jabbed to improve their social lives.  

Before the mandates went into place, all four countries were falling behind their peers in vaccine uptake, although there is now fresh urgency to get people jabbed as Omicron spreads, with the variant estimated to be behind up to three per cent of new infections in the US. 

Requirements were also found to be less effective in a country like Germany, where many people already had been vaccinated even before the country put certain mandates in place.

Vaccine mandates are slowly becoming more common, with cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco all requiring vaccine checks to attend certain events and take part in some activities.

Researchers found that mandates that made Italians to show proof of vaccination to attend sporting events or certain private parties increased vaccine uptake by 7%. The projected vaccine uptake with out the mandate is in blue, the actual vaccine uptake is in red. The dotted line is the day the mandate was announced, while the solid line is the day it went into effect

In France, front line workers were among those mandated to receive the shots. Proof of vaccination was also required to attend events with more than 50 people. The mandates increased vaccine demand by 13%. The projected vaccine uptake with out the mandate is in blue, the actual vaccine uptake is in red. The dotted line is the day the mandate was announced, while the solid line is the day it went into effect

Israel had the most success with its vaccine mandate, which applied to gyms, sporting events and places of worship, increasing vaccine demand by 24%. The projected vaccine uptake with out the mandate is in blue, the actual vaccine uptake is in red. The dotted line is the day the mandate was announced, while the solid line is the day it went into effect

The research team, who posted their findings in Lancet on Monday, gathered data from five European countries and Israel for the study.

For each of them, they compared vaccine uptake by age group from the time before to the time after a mandate was put in place.

Researchers used the data from before the vaccine restrictions, or ‘interventions’, occurred to build a projection as to how many people would have gotten the shots if the rollout continued as normal.

They then compared the projected model to the actual result of the vaccine mandate.

The mandates were most effective in Israel, where at one point vaccine uptake was four times higher than the projection.

Overall, researchers found that the mandate in Israel – which required proof of vaccine to attend sporting events, go to the gym, places of worship, tourist attractions or universities – increased vaccine uptake 24 percent.

In France, a vaccine mandate was put in place for many health care, police, fire service and front line employees.

Proof of vaccination was also required to travel long distances by plane or train, or to attend any event where 50 or more people were present.

The mandates increased the overall vaccination rate by 13 percent.

Researchers found that young people were most likely to get vaccinated as a result of the mandates, as many wanted to continue going to bars and clubs, and go to other events. Pictured: A woman in Ishoej, Denmark, receives a shot of a COVID-19 vaccine

Italians had to show proof of vaccination to get into hospitality venues, some private parties or indoor sporting venues, and the countries vaccine demand increased by seven percent due to the mandates.

In Switzerland, a person needed to be vaccinated in order to attend any venue with more than 1,000 people, along with other indoor events at hospitality venues. 

The Swiss mandates also were credited with a seven percent overall increase in vaccination rate.

In all of the countries, the biggest increase in vaccination rate was among people under 30, leading researchers to believe that many young people who were previously indifferent to the shots suddenly wanted them to keep attending events.

‘We know that certain groups have lower vaccine uptake than others, and it may be that COVID-19 certification is a useful way to encourage vaccine complacent groups, like young people and men, to get vaccinated,’ said Tobias Rüttenauer, co-author of the study and post-doctoral fellow at Oxford, said in a press release. 

‘However, COVID-19 certification alone is not a silver bullet for improving vaccine uptake and must be used alongside other policies, such as targeted vaccine drives.’ 

Researchers also normalized COVID-19 daily case numbers to compare how these four countries fared against others in Europe.

They found that cases were lower in France, Italy and Switzerland than their peers after the mandates went into place.

In America, younger people have consistently had the lowest vaccination rate.

While almost all Americans over the age of 65 have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 80 percent of people 40 to 65, the younger age groups have fallen behind the pace.

Only 70 percent of Americans 18 to 24 have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 58 percent are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Around 74 percent of people 25 to 39 have received one shot, with 62 percent fully vaccinated.

Many young people feel like they are safe against the virus, since they are at a much lower risk of severe complications. 

Health officials put mandates in place for two reasons usually.

First, to help control the spread of the virus by only allowing people who are much less likely to be infected with Covid – because of the vaccine – into large events where the virus can quickly spread.

Second, denying unvaccinated people of their ability to take part in some activities could spur them to get the shots.

According to this study, the second factor may be working in some European countries. 

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Entertainment

Coachella capitulates, reverses mandatory vaccination policy

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What’s that? Oh, no, these people won’t need to be vaccinated, despite overwhelming proof that it’s the best way to reduce hospitalizations from COVID-19.
Photo: Presley Ann (Getty Images)

Despite vaccinations being a fairly simple, uncomplicated method of preventing harm that has been employed for decades to keep polio, measles, diphtheria, hepatitis, and more dangerously infectious and potentially fatal illnesses from ravaging our public schools (among other places), Coachella has looked at the evidence and said, “Nah, bro, we’re all good.”

The festival equivalent of the fraternity brother who gets sent to pick up booze for the Friday night party and instead ends up doing lines on the back of a toilet seat in Vegas, Coachella, has reversed course on its mandatory vaccination requirement for the April 2022 event.

Variety reports the move to switch from its previously announced plan to require vaccination against COVID-19 comes as a surprise, for the primary reason that there’s no real sensible explanation. Tickets have been sold out for months, so it’s not like the vaccine mandate was hurting attendance.

Weirder still, the festival didn’t announce the change in policy via its main accounts on Instagram or Twitter (the latter’s most recent post, from August, still states vaccines are required for attendance). Instead, it was posted as a soon-to-vanish IG story:

After seeing first-hand the low transmission data and successful implementation of safety protocols at our other festivals this past month, we feel confident we can update our health policy to allow for:

Negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of the event

OR

Proof of full vaccination.

Even Variety calls out how weird that method of quietly announcing the shift in policy looks, noting that, “in the music world, Instagram stories are usually used by artists for insider-fan announcements, not by major concert promoters for serious health-policy updates.”

Given that coronavirus has proven nothing if not resilient, why make such a belated shift in what was apparently a wholly unproblematic and science-based decision that didn’t impact sales in the slightest? Could there possibly be some major artists performing who have refused to get the vaccine, thereby making the festival look hypocritical if it went ahead with their bookings while keeping the vaccination requirement? Cynicism, thy name is history.

Instead, by rolling the dice on negative tests, the festival is going to hope nobody contracts it while in attendance, and subsequently dies horribly when a simple vaccine shot could’ve saved their life. That’s optimistic! And after all, why not be optimistic? Surely, if nothing else, the past couple years have demonstrated that things always get better whenever we hope they will. This might sound like hectoring. It is. Get vaccinated. 

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World

Japan, Singapore have most powerful passports; Pakistan ranks below North Korea | World News

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The global gap in travel freedom is at its widest point ever and continues to expand due to the entry barriers in the wake of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, according to residence and citizenship planning firm Henley & Partners. The firm’s Henley Passport Index has ranked all passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index, however, doesn’t take into account the temporary travel restrictions imposed by the countries due to Covid-19.

Japan and Singapore are at the top of the Henley Passport Index with both countries having a visa-free score of 192, which means holders of passports of these two countries can travel to 192 countries without a prior visa. Passports of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Yemen are among the least powerful. Indian passports are ranked 90, along with Burkina Faso and Tajikistan, as the passport holders of these three countries can access 58 countries without a prior visa.

Here’s the top 10 ranking of world’s most powerful passports:

1. Japan, Singapore (visa-free score – 192)

2. Germany, South Korea (visa-free score – 190)

3. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain (visa-free score – 189)

4. Austria, Denmark (visa-free score – 188)

5. France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden (visa-free score – 187)

6. Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland (visa-free score – 186)

7. Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway, United Kingdom, United States (visa-free score – 185)

8. Australia, Canada (visa-free score – 184)

9. Hungary (visa-free score – 183)

10. Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia (visa-free score – 182)

Here’s the top 10 countries of least powerful passports:

1. Afghanistan (visa-free score – 26)

2. Iraq (visa-free score – 28)

3. Syria (visa-free score – 29)

4. Pakistan (visa-free score – 31)

5. Yemen (visa-free score – 33)

6. Somalia (visa-free score – 34)

7. Nepal, Palestianian territory (visa-free score – 37)

8. North Korea (visa-free score – 39)

9. Bangladesh (visa-free score – 40)

10. Iran, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Sudan (visa-free score – 41)

The ranking is based on the analysis of exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Henley & Partners’ global mobility report suggests that many countries in the global south have relaxed border restrictions to revive their economies but countries in the global north, with some of the most stringent inbound travel restrictions, haven’t reciprocated in the same manner.

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World

England cancels plans for COVID-19 vaccine passports: health official

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England has scrapped plans to make COVID-19 vaccine passports mandatory for nightclubs and other crowded spaces, a top health official said Sunday.

Health Minister Sajid Javid confirmed that the country won’t go forward with its plans to begin requiring proof of vaccination later this month at the venues.

“What I can say is that we’ve looked at it properly, and while we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports,” Javid told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

IN UK, STAR-SPANGLED BANNER PLAYED AT WINDSOR CASTLE TO MARK 20 YEARS SINCE 9/11

Under the proposed rules, people would have had to show proof of vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test or that they had recently isolated after a positive test in order to enter clubs or other crowded venues.

Javid said that he “never liked the idea,” but that it was “right to properly look at it, to look at the evidence.”

 “We just shouldn’t be doing things for the sake of it or because others are doing, and we should look at every possible intervention properly,” Javid told the show.

Asked if the decision was made in response to criticism from some venues, Javid insisted that was not the case.

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He said the vaccine passports were no longer necessary due to other mitigation efforts, including high vaccination rates, testing, surveillance and new treatments, BBC reported.

New York City rolled out its own vaccine passport system last month in which patrons are required to prove they’ve received the jab to enter certain indoor businesses — including all indoor restaurants, entertainment venues and gyms.

Click here to read more on the New York Post.

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Health

Canada Fines 2 Idiots $20,000 for Faking Their Vaccine Status

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Photo: Eva Hambach / AFP) (Getty Images)

It’s one thing to refuse to get vaccinated against covid-19 or tested for the virus—precautions that are, unfortunately, not mandatory in many parts of the world—but it’s another thing to blatantly lie to authorities about it, especially when you’re visiting another country.

Canadian authorities announced that they recently busted two idiots traveling from the U.S. to Toronto for failing to comply with entry requirements. According to a news release from the Public Health Agency of Canada, the travelers provided false information related to proof of vaccination credentials and pre-departure tests. In addition, they also failed to stay in government-authorized accommodations, which is a requirement for people who are not vaccinated, and carry out covid-19 arrival tests.

The travelers, who arrived in Toronto the week of July 18, received eight fines and will have to pay $19,720 each.

“The Government of Canada will continue to investigate incidents reported and will not hesitate to take enforcement action where it is warranted to protect the health of Canadians from the further spread of COVID-19 and its variants of concern,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said in the release.

While that may sound like a hefty chunk of cash, the travelers could have been fined a lot more and even faced prison time. Canadian authorities say that travelers violating any quarantine or isolation instructions given by a screening or quarantine officer upon entry to the country could face $5,000 in fines for each day they break the rules or for each violation. More serious penalties can lead to six months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines.

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Under current Canadian travel regulations, fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents no longer must spend time in quarantine when they enter the country. The regulation also applies to fully vaccinated foreign nationals that have an exemption to enter the country. (Non-essential travel by foreigners will not be allowed until August 9). However, to be able to opt out of quarantine, travelers must present documents that prove their vaccination status and upload them to the ArriveCAN app.

Travelers who aren’t vaccinated like the two in this case are required to stay in a government-approved hotel for three days, quarantine for 14 days, and carry out covid-19 tests before their flight’s departure, after their flight’s arrival, and eight days later, CTV News explained.

“All travellers arriving in Canada are obligated by Canadian law to respond truthfully to all questions,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said. “Providing false information and/or documents to a Government of Canada official upon entry to Canada or making false statements or presenting fraudulent documents, such as vaccination credentials, is a serious offence and may result in fines and/or criminal charges.”

All in all, lying to authorities is a bad idea. On a related note, it also seems like it would take more work. Think about it. Presumably the two travelers in question had to forge authentic-looking documents. It’s much easier to just get vaccinated and get tested instead of going through all that hassle. And while we’re on the subject of wasting time, just imagine how the travelers’ trip turned out after being caught with their pants on fire.

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US

Florida governor bans Covid-19 ‘vaccine passports’

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The order prohibits any government entity from issuing vaccine passports and blocks businesses from requiring any such documentation.

DeSantis cited freedom and privacy concerns as the primary basis for the action, arguing that the implementation and enforcement of vaccine passports would “create two classes of citizens based on vaccinations.”

The order notes many Floridians have not yet had the opportunity to obtain a vaccine, while some may have infection-acquired immunity, and other people may be unable to get a Covid-19 vaccine because of health, religious or other reasons.

“Individual Covid-19 vaccination records are private health information and should not be shared by a mandate,” DeSantis’ executive order reads.

DeSantis signaled earlier this week that he would not support vaccine passports.

“It’s completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society,” he said Monday during a press conference.

Florida requires children to receive certain vaccines before enrolling and attending childcare and school.
The Florida governor tweeted Friday that the Florida legislature is “working on making permanent these protections for Floridians,” and that he looks forward to signing them into law soon.

Privacy fears

There have been major privacy concerns regarding vaccine passports, especially if a centralized, computer-based system were created for people to prove they’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19.

American Civil Liberties Union senior policy analyst Jay Stanley argued in an article this week for a decentralized, open-sourced system to make sure people know how and where their data is being used.

“Does it report back every time you present a credential?” Stanley asked. “Every time someone asks to see you’ve received a vaccine? Does it report back to some government agency? That would also be very bad.”

The Biden administration has been working with non-profits and tech firms to develop a set of standards for people to prove they’ve gotten the vaccine, according to at least two administration officials.

However, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday there will be no federal mandate that would require every American to get a vaccine credential.



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Business

Vaccine passports could prove to be a privacy minefield

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Singapore Airlines crew members and travelers at the transit hall of Changi Airport in Singapore on Jan. 14, 2021.

Roslan Rahman | AFP | Getty Images

When the EU announced its plans for a “digital green certificate” this month, the tourism industry breathed a sigh of relief that maybe summer could be salvaged. 

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the concept of a “vaccine passport” has been floated regularly. Once inoculated against Covid-19, a person could carry proof of vaccination that would allow them to travel or access services that are otherwise shut under lockdown.

The EU’s certificate, which avoids using the term “passport,” would create a common digital system for Europe, likely in the form of a smartphone app, to prove vaccination, a negative test or that they have recovered from the virus.

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said a common EU-wide approach to such a certificate would “gradually restore free movement” in the region.

“It is also a chance to influence global standards and lead by example based on our European values like data protection,” he said earlier this month.

Different industries around the world have been tinkering with these passes for months.

IBM is working with New York State on a digital health pass that uses blockchain technology to verify a person’s test or vaccine credentials and Walmart, which is carrying out shots in its stores, recently backed calls for vaccine certificates.

Apple and Google previously collaborated on creating standards for contact tracing in smartphones. The EU has suggested that the tech giants might collaborate again on these efforts with the World Health Organization, but the WHO has since denied this.

Now as vaccine rollouts gather pace, the prospect of these digital passports or certificates have caught the eye of many different industries.

Data privacy

The aviation and tourism industries — both brutalized over the last year — have been the keenest to pursue this technology to re-open global travel.

The International Air Transport Association introduced its “travel pass” late last year and launched a trial with Singapore Airlines this month.

Initially created to show proof of a negative test, the app will be expanded to show proof of vaccination as well, according to Katherine Kaczynska, assistant director of corporate communications at IATA.

Kaczynska added that IATA is not in favor of mandating vaccines for travel, but the industry group instead views the app as one way to help open up international travel.

Ultimately the system will be integrated into an airline’s own app but there needs to be cohesion in how various vaccine passport proposals are launched and operated, Kaczynska told CNBC.

Vaccine passports electronically store medical information displayed as a QR code.

da-kuk | E+ | Getty Images

“We’re working closely with governments because we need to make sure things are interoperable,” she said.

“It’s the governments that need to come out with a standard for digital vaccine certificates and then we need to make sure that works with the IATA Travel Pass and with other apps out there. Ours is specifically focused on aviation but for it to work there will obviously need to be interoperability between different standards.” 

Given the sensitive health-related data at play, launching any digital service raises questions around privacy and data protection. 

IATA is working with Evernym, a blockchain firm that’s worked on various projects for digital decentralized identities, including a project with the Red Cross.

“The main thing with the IATA Travel Pass is that it’s decentralized technology, which basically means that all the data is not stored on a central database in any way at all. All the data is stored on the passenger’s phone,” Kaczynska said.

According to the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, its proposed system will only require “essential information.” This includes vaccine or test data and a unique identifier for the certificate.

Ethics 

Nicole Hassoun, a professor at Binghamton University specializing in ethics in public health, said deploying any kind of vaccine passport on a mass scale needs careful thought.

As vaccines are distributed in a patchwork of demographics, passports or certificates need to consider exemptions to avoid any discrimination for people that are not yet vaccinated or have health reasons for not being vaccinated, she said.

“Maybe you would allow some kind of passport system but then there have to be health exceptions. There have to be welfare exceptions for people who really have good reasons that they need to access these services (such as travel),” Hassoun told CNBC.

This is partly why the EU proposal doesn’t focus solely on vaccination and includes negative tests.

One particular concern is that vaccines are still very new. While data coming out of countries like Israel shows promise, more data is needed to verify just how effective the various vaccines are at reducing transmission and what long-term immunity will look like, Hassoun added.

“We need more data about what the effects on transmission are for people that are vaccinated or people who might have natural immunity, how long will that last? What happens when there are new strains?” she said.

“We need to pay attention to what the private sector is doing as well as what governments are doing and make sure that we regulate if we have to and make sure that they’re fair to everybody.”

She warned that the provision of passports and certificates need to be equitable as currently the rollout of vaccines themselves is not. While Western nations like the U.K. and U.S. forge ahead, others are left behind, such as Brazil, which has suffered some of the world’s worst outbreaks and is struggling with its rollout.

For the EU, which is facing its own supply issues amid disputes with AstraZeneca, the clock is ticking to have the digital green certificate ready for the summer season. 

The framework will require speedy perusal and adoption by the European Parliament and Council if Europe and its tourism sector is to avoid a second lost summer. 

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World

Vaccines; vaccine passports; Redfield; California

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CLOSE

Dr. Anthony Fauci isn’t ready to say the nation has turned the corner on the coronavirus pandemic, despite about 2.5 million Americans getting vaccinated each day. (March 24)

AP Domestic

The United States faces a hi

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, warned Sunday the nation could be at risk of a new surge of COVID-19 infections as the number of daily cases in the U.S. has remained at a plateau.

“When you’re coming down from a big peak and you reach a point and start to plateau, once you stay at that plateau, you’re really in danger of a surge coming up,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, saidon CBS “Face the Nation.” “And unfortunately, that’s what we’re starting to see.”

More than 50 million Americans are now fully vaccinated, 20% of the adult population, and more than 36% of adults have received at least one dose, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Sunday.

But while 143 million doses have been administered across the nation, another 37 million doses delivered to state health agencies and private pharmacies have thus far gone unused or just been wasted. The U.S. is now averaging about 2.5 million jabs per day, so 37 million doses equals two weeks of jabs.

The pace is picking up. The U.S. had 3.5 million vaccine doses administered on Saturday and 3.4 million on Friday. U.S. is now administering about 18.8 million doses per week, up from 11.5 million just a month ago and 8.1 million two months ago.

To get more vaccine into arms faster, about half of U.S. states will open up their vaccination efforts to all adults by mid-April, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients says. In all, 46 states and the District of Columbia have already pledged to meet President Joe Biden’s goal of having all Americans eligible for a vaccine by May 1.

Also in the news:

►Brazil’s two biggest cities, Rio and Sao Paulo, have imposed extensive restrictions during a 10-day “holiday” that began this weekend aimed at curtailing one of the world’s most severe COVID surges. The holiday may backfire – many Brazilians are taking advantage of the break to travel and visit friends and families.

►Spanish indie band Love of Lesbian played a show in Barcelona, Spain, before 5,000 fans who all passed a same-day coronavirus screening, to test its effectiveness in preventing outbreaks of the virus at large cultural events. The only rule inside the show was the strict use of the high-quality face masks provided by the concert organizers.

► New York has launched the nation’s first “vaccine passports” system. The certification, called the Excelsior Pass, will be useful at large-scale venues such as Madison Square Garden and will be accepted at dozens of event, arts and entertainment venues statewide.

📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has over 30.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 548,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 126.8 million cases and 2.7 million deaths. More than 180.6 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 140.1 million have been administered, according to the CDC.

📘 What we’re reading: Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN he believes the virus that causes COVID-19 was accidentally released from a lab in Wuhan, China. Several scientists said Redfield’s theory did not pass the scientific smell test.

USA TODAY is tracking COVID-19 news. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates. Want more? Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox and join our Facebook group.

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Birx: Most deaths were avoidable

Most coronavirus deaths in the United States were avoidable, former Trump administration coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx says. Birx, in an interview for CNN’s documentary “Covid War: The Pandemic Doctors Speak Out,” said deaths in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic were likely inevitable. But she said the death rates in later waves could have been greatly reduced if the U.S. had “mitigated earlier … paused earlier and actually done” greater social distancing and shutdown measures. 

“The first time, we have an excuse – there were about 100,000 deaths that came from that original surge,” Birx said. “All of the rest of them, in my mind, could have been mitigated or decreased substantially.” Read more here.

–Matthew Brown

Stuck in Mexico: Americans who test positive can’t come home right away

Travelers don’t need a COVID test to fly to Mexico, but they can’t board a flight back to the United States from the country or any international destination without showing a negative test taken no more than three days before departure or proof of recovery from COVID. Travelers who’ve been stuck say they were told they faced between 10 and 14 days in isolation. When the requirement was announced on Jan. 12, travelers rushed to cancel plans or shift their vacation plans to U.S. vacation spots that don’t require COVID tests. But the bookings rebounded as some hotels announced free testing and a free quarantine stay if they tested positive. Read more here.

Korey Mudd’s positive test extended the honeymoon with his wife, Alisha, in Mexico for nine nights longer than planned.

“Ultimately, we had pushed it off so many times already, we decided we were going to go ahead and go for it,” he said. “It would have been better just to stay home.”

– Dawn Gilbertson

Vaccines slowly bringing families back together

For a year, the coronavirus preyed on the vulnerable and spread uncontrollably throughout the U.S., upending daily life. But now, nearly half of Americans over the age of 65 are fully vaccinated, and heartfelt reunions are happening across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance says those who have received a full course of vaccine may get together with other fully vaccinated individuals in small groups inside their homes without masks or physical distancing. They can visit with unvaccinated people from one other household who are at low risk for severe disease.

“You can visit your grandparents if you’ve been vaccinated and they have been, too,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. “If grandparents have been vaccinated, they can visit their daughter and her family even if they have not been vaccinated, so long as the daughter and her family are not at risk for severe disease.” Read more here.

Study: COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, even for babies

COVID-19 vaccines are extremely effective at protecting pregnant women and likely provide protection for their babies as well, according to a new study. The research, published last week in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, examined 131 vaccine recipients, including 84 who were pregnant, 31 who were breastfeeding, and 16 who weren’t pregnant as a control group. 

Earlier studies suggested the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna would be safe and effective. But this is the largest study to date looking at the immune responses of pregnant and lactating women to vaccination. Read more.

– Karen Weintraub

Californians age 50-64 rush to get vaccine before expansion

Before California throws open its coronavirus vaccine program to all adults on April 15, there will be a two-week window when millions of people between the ages of 50 and 64 can get their shot. The rollout for this age group, who become eligible on Thursday, has prompted an uptick in appointment requests and has raised concerns about whether two weeks is enough to get to everybody when there is uncertainty about supply levels as well as lingering questions about accessibility.

The California Department of Finance, which monitors population data, projects that there are 7.2 million people in the state 50 to 64. Currently, only about 23% of Californians in that age group have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the state, compared with 37% of people 18 to 49, likely because of their occupation or because they have qualifying health conditions.

Contributing: Mike Stucka, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/03/28/covid-news-40-million-vaccine-doses-either-awaiting-use-wasted/7033428002/

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