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LAST UPDATE | 16 Dec 2020
THERE IS NO plan that vaccine certificates will be used to restrict what people can access or do in Ireland in the coming months.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said yesterday that vaccine certificates which could prove who has received the Covid-19 injection are “under consideration” by the government.
As part of the vaccine roll out implementation plan, the high-level vaccine task force said the vaccine administration process could include the production of a vaccine certificate after someone has received their doses.
There has been speculation that those who do not get vaccinated could be restricted in what they can do, in terms of attending large events or travel.
However, a spokesperson for the minister today said:
“It is not envisaged at this stage that the vaccine certificate, which is a medical record used to keep track of which vaccine has been given to a person and on which dates, will be used for any other purpose, such as travel or restricting access.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend countries issuing “immunity passports” for those who have recovered from Covid-19 but said it is looking at prospects of deploying e-vaccination certificates.
The task force report, published yesterday, states that ”the design of this certificate and the scope of how it will be delivered (eg. physically, digitally or both) is currently being progressed with a number of stakeholders, including the EU”.
Head of the task force, Professor Brian MacCraith said that whether a certificate would be physical or digital is under consideration, but added “the language being used is very careful.
“It’s a vaccination certificate of proof of vaccination, nothing else.
“There are also discussions at an EU level of perhaps a single model across the EU 27 for example, but it’s under consideration within the IT infrastructure discussions and as you might imagine it’s not a particularly challenging thing to create in its simplest configuration,” he said.
Hiqa advice
Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has said trust, communication, and knowledge will be core tenets to help influence and improve the uptake of Covid-19 vaccinations in Ireland.
In advice issued to NPHET after reviewing international evidence, Hiqa said that the campaign to vaccinate Irish people should be largely based on consensus rather than penalties and enforcement.
Hiqa also stressed in its advice that potential barriers to equitable access to vaccines should be minimised and said that, given the unique situation of Covid-19, evidence from other vaccines such as seasonal flu is likely to have limited applicability to the situation we’re in now in terms of uptake, preference and behaviours.
Yesterday, the government announced details of its National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy.
It will see at-risk groups prioritised for the early rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, before it ramps up to groups within the wider population.
Dedicated mass vaccination hubs will be set up, while details around a person’s path from appointment to innoculation were also explained.
In considering its advice, Hiqa noted that concerns may be raised about how mRNA vaccines (such as those made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna) work as well as the rigour of the approval process from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Presenting information clearly and accurately on these topics was said to be an important factor in building trust with the public on the safety and efficacy of these vaccines.
During a meeting of its Covid-19 expert advisory group, Hiqa said: “It was noted that the majority of individuals do not have an inherent bias for or against a vaccine, but need to be assured and informed in terms of the evidence for potential benefit or harm relevant to them or their family.
There was agreement among [group] members that any policy aiming to maximise uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine needs to focus on trust, communication and knowledge. There is a need for communication to reassure the public of the process of vaccination approval by the EMA. While timelines have been shortened, processes have been carried out in parallel rather than sequentially and are robust. All vaccines, including the new Covid-19 vaccines, undergo the same rigorous evaluation process by regulatory authorities.
Hiqa’s advice also pinpointed the importance of healthcare workers in this process.
It said that in advance of any vaccination programme, healthcare workers should be provided with the necessary information for them to make informed decisions for themselves and also act as a trusted source of information for others.
Key figures within local communities, such as GPs, pharmacists, and religious and sports leaders were also pinpointed as important to provide with evidence-based information to help with engagement with the community.
“Evidence in relation to the effectiveness and safety of Covid-19 vaccines obtained through ongoing surveillance should be made available in a proactive, open and accountable manner to maintain public trust,” Hiqa added.
With additional reporting by Christina Finn
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A vaccinated person has no reason to be afraid of those who haven’t taken it. They will be perfectly safe, that’s the whole idea. So there is no rationale for vaccine certification except scaring people who might otherwise take it.
@Owen: I think a vaccination cert is necessary for international travel, no way is Australia going to let any people in without one of those papers, and if you don’t have one then the option is a 14 day quarantine. Its unfair on them and other pacific nations that have done a great job with dealing with the virus, but then foreigners from all corners will try to come in and then will moan about it because they didn’t get vaccinated.
@Paul Cunningham: Well foreigners should not get automatic access to their health service if they get sick. That would sort that.
@Owen: A lot of the people who were giving out about the government letting folks in from other countries are also giving out about governments stopping unvaccinated people from entering their countries.
@Owen: eh other countries might not be so keen on allowing unvaccinated tourists to enter so you will need proof
@Paul Cunningham: vax certs are generally required if you travel from a risk country e.g. with yellow fever, if the vaccine works then most countries, at least in the western world, won’t be a risk. The Aussie stance is more political than scientific. This is a slippery slope if it is pushed on people and there will be resistance.
@Owen: you do not understand how viruses work then, or vaccination, or how vaccines work. A 70 percent vaccination rate is needed for it to work. Please get vaccinated if you are able to.
@Owen: it’s about protecting the vulnerable who can’t get the vaccine, like those with serious allergies
@Paul Cunningham: can you explain how it will work so you have people from other countries coming to Ireland mixing in pubs and restaurants, and holiday spots with un vaccinated citizens and they will be safe to travel back home to there own countries.
@Owen: That’s not true. The vaccine stops you from getting sick with it but we don’t yet know, and have no reason to believe, that it stops you from picking it up and passing it on
@JusticeForJoe: that would be rather unique. Vaccines work by creating herd immunity, meaning that vaccinated people can’t get sick *and* can’t pass it on. If you’re not sick (which doesn’t just mean not having symptoms, but not having any significant amount of viruses inside you) then you can’t pass on the virus. The vaccine does not stop symptoms, it stops the actual infection by priming the immune system to recognise and attack the virus before it gets a foothold
@Giovanni Giusti: Actually a vaccine is only allowing you to battle the virus better. You would still have it in your body and could still transmit it. You would be faster out of that time frame but you can still spread.
@Giovanni Giusti: not proven with the covid vaccines, you need to read the research.
Looks like they’ve chosen the enforcement route with their vaccination certificates. You want to move freely about in society, you gotta have the papers for it!
@JedBartlett: Wo sind deine Papiere?
@JedBartlett: Have they chosen to do that or is it just under discussion ?
@Tommy Roche: Kite flying it could be described as I suppose. See what the reaction will be.
@JedBartlett: Nothing new there then. Main issue I see with it is that it’s younger, healthier people who tend to travel more and mix more whilst travelling, but these are also the people who are way down the priorty list for the vaccine. If they went with this cert plan, it would basically ban travel for this section of society until well into next year, at least, through no fault of there own.
@JedBartlett: Did you read the actual article.
There is NO plan to restrict
It’s fairly clear
Absolutely no point me taking it in August when business is dead. I’m young and healthy. The only reason I need to take it is so social restrictions and lockdown end and if that doesn’t happen I don’t want it.
There is a sense of “the lady doth protest too much” at the moment. They are non-stop telling me not to worry, I’m actually beginning to.
If they removed lockdowns, I’d take it tomorrow.
@Mikey: *and to protect the vulnerable….
@Mikey: “The only reason I need to take it is so social restrictions and lockdown end and if that doesn’t happen I don’t want it.”. But isn’t that kind of circular ? You say you don’t want it unless restrictions and lockdowns end, but restrictions won’t end until enough people are vaccinated to bring about herd immunity. Anyway, if enough healthcare workers and the majority of those in the at risk groups are vaccinated before March or April then I think that will see the end of lockdowns. Some restrictions will still be needed, such as no large crowds in enclosed spaces, but on the whole I think businesses will be able to start picking up the pieces from Spring onwards without the worry of being shut down again. Hopefully.
@Sarah Cullen: Will the vulnerable not already be protected by the time he has to decide?
There are ppl willing to take this who don’t agree with it for the benifit of all. The ones who particularly need it are ones who with everyone else has protected the vulnerable the last 9 months by living in restrictions.
He’s 100% right the whole country will take them if it’s explained this the end of this nightmare and things will go back to the way they were. Thats the selling point.
Non vulnerable young ppl have had the same restrictions, economic damage and mental issues as everyone else. They did this knowing it was for benefit of others as there was very little risk to them.
This cert is a step to far on people.
@Richie: A step to far how exactly? Jesus talk about first world problems. There are people dying of this thing every day, but god forbid there is a cert introduced because that’s the step to far.
The value placed on life has really taken a massive plummet these last few months on this comment section. It’s all well and good as long as those actually suffering are not your own.
@Gavin Conran: people die of flu every day
@John Lyons: very few compared to covid
@Gavin Conran: I’ll be honest I hadn’t read the update there saying they weren’t going to stop people doing things because they don’t have the cert when I wrote that.
All death is tragic but you talk like we can avoid it. You seem to be placing a higher emphasis on a covid death. Covid I belive is the 5th biggest killer this year?
I’m all for doing what we had to do but when the light is at the end of the tunnel let’s look for it and not half measures.
I’ve worked in 3rd world countries but ppl are allowed to be relative also. What were we fighting for these last nine months if after the suffering families have suffered, if not to seek what we had?
@John Lyons: Perhaps somewhere in the world someone dies of flu everyday, but if you’re referring to Ireland then you’re either misinformed or making stuff up.
@Sarah Cullen: the vulnerable will already be protected as they will have taken it before me, no?
@Tommy Roche: average flu deaths in Ireland per year are between 200-500 so possible someone is dying every day from flu!
@Tommy Roche: true, yeah, I’m aware there’s a ridiculous sense of chicken/egg to what I’m saying. I’ve no problem taking it. I would take it tomorrow. I suppose really the point is I can’t understand why restrictions would remain in place once the vulnerable/elderly are vaccinated.
@Mikey: some of the vulnerable ie elderly housebound will not be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and will have to wait for Moderna vaccine which will be easier to transport.
Good to hear that it’s not envisaged “at this stage”
That really puts my mind at ease
No point having a vaccine cert if it is not effective which we are not 100% sure of at this point. If it turns out that vaccinated people can still spread COVID then it will be pointless.
@Helen Rafferty: a vaccinated person can’t spread it to another vaccinated person. Everybody gets vaccinated, virus dies out.
@Hector Son: Dear Hector,
Please revise, little information can be dangerous.
@Hector Son: a vaccinated person can’t spread it at all. That’s just how vaccines work.
In theory you could inhale a virus-infected droplet and cough it straight out before your antibodies kill all the viruses in it into the face of an unvaccinated person, but that’s rather unlikely
@Giovanni Giusti: Actually, it is not clear yet whether a person vaccinated with Pfizer’s vaccine can still contract the virus and/or pass it on. The data only shows that it is 90+% effective at preventing the DISEASE that the virus causes. They’re waiting on more data over the coming months.
@Hector Son: just like the flu.
@Kevin Farrell: my immune system is 99.7% effective
@Hector Son: how do you know that?? the vaccine is so new this information is not available yet.
It is scary how much incorrect information is being posted in this comments section. It is NOT proven that the Covid vaccines stop you from carrying the virus and passing it on to others. Please READ the data before preaching to everyone on how vaccines work.
What about the Sputnik V. If I want to get that vaccine do I need to go to Hungary ?
Great news, as I have no plans in this life to take a vaccine
@Martin Mason: me neither
honest question. when would you see pubs and nightclubs open again with no restrictions?
@Macca1986: probably next august/September. Sad but it’s reality.
@Fabio Dillon: ye, it was a genuine question as I havnt a clue. I’d imagine pubs will be open before nightclubs
@Fabio Dillon: by that time, the pubs will serve as Amazon warehouse
@Fabio Dillon: would you say pubs and nightclubs will open before then under restriction?
Just a money spinner for the gov. Of course many countries will require a vaccine cert to held by an individual to enter another. It will be a mandatory requirement for most countries, so yes, we’ll be paying for these even though the gov has said the vaccine will be free. God these politicians are clowns
@BRIAN MCCARTHY: of course we’re paying for it. That’s not a secret.
Why not brand your vaccine cert number on your arm and also you need your papers for free movement. Now where have I seen this happen before …… oh yeah nazi Germany. Welcome to nazi Ireland.
@paul mccoy: 100%…..Heil Holohan!
I have just returned from WA (Western Au.) after a yr away. Life is practically normal there and it’s lovely to keep it that way. But there is no such thing as free access to healthcare as visa holders (student) must take out health cover in advance of being granted a visa. Quarantine is mandatory for returning citizens too but WA is still closed to non-nationals/ n-residents at this time…
People’s activities should be restricted based on vaccine status, it makes perfect sense.
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