First Tests Of 'Immunity Passports' To Begin Wednesday

First Tests Of New "Immunity Passports" Will Take Place Wednesday

 Tyler Durden

Back in April, when the coronavirus was still new and scary, with cities from New York, to London to Paris in its grip, the professional commentariat was abuzz with speculation about what our not-too-distant post-COVID-19 future might look like. At one point, the mayor of the French city of Nice and Bill Gates were among the most prominent voices discussing health passports, and the WHO was apparently treating the topic with extreme caution.

Since then, discussion has faded somewhat, due in part to the relentless messaging from President Trump and others about the coming vaccines. But as the leading western vaccine projects prepare to apply for emergency use from the FDA as soon as November or December, the World Economic Forum, the same supranational organization that organizes the annual forum in Davos, is taking the lead in testing a global standard to communicate that an individual hasn't been infected with COVID-19.

The project to develop an international standard to communicate whether travelers have been infected with COVID-19 called the CommonPass system is being led by Paul Meyer, the CEO of the Commons Project, a Swiss non-profit financed by the Rockefeller Foundation.  

Meyer insists countries are looking for better ways to "thoughtfully reopen" their borders as European countries start cutting down intra-EU travel once again.

Right now, travelers’ COVID-19 test results are frequently printed out, with the results often obtained from unknown or uncertified labs.

With CommonPass, travelers would take a test at a certified lab, then the results would be uploaded to their phone. Then they would  complete any other health-related questionnaires required by the country to which they're traveling. Before boarding, airlines can use CP to check whether travelers have met the entry requirements. This can be done by simply scanning a QR code generated by the app.

Even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, these 'health passports' could be used to offer evidence that a traveler has been vaccinated - not just for COVID-19, but for any other diseases.

And even once vaccines are widely available, the world will need a system for patients to prove that they have received the vaccine. Some countries might only allow travelers to enter if they have received a specific vaccine.

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