Should there be a universal 'Vaccine Passport'? A conversation with the World Economic Forum's Head of Global Health

Here's a not-so-unrealistic hypothetical: Imagine for a moment that you've got to travel overseas and the coronavirus pandemic is slowing down as vaccines are rolled out in high numbers in more and more countries. You've gotten your vaccination, so now you're allowed to travel to any country which recognizes the universal vaccine passport you've been issued by your government.

Far fetched? Not at all.

While there is currently no official "universal vaccine passport" it isn't hard to think such a thing could be coming down the line as countries try to get their economies back up and running and give struggling populaces an opportunity to return to a larger sense of normalcy.

Some countries are already making it easier for those who have either have proof of vaccination or immunity to cross borders.

Companies are also racing to build digital passports for people to prove they've been vaccinated.

A company like North Carolina based screening-solutions provider CastleBranch provides such a service in the form of "Real Vaccination IDs". Their vaccination ID can only be attained and purchased after providing documented proof of an individual receiving the required dosage of an approved vaccine.

This is one of the topics of discussion I had in speaking with Arnaud Bernaert, Global Head of Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum. He says an official vaccine passport would combine official registries in compliance with authorized vaccination centres.

? Hear what Bernaert says about vaccine passports here:

Vaccine hesitancy

Bernaert also spoke of vaccine hesitancy and said that despite there currently being some people who are not enthusiastic about taking a coronavirus vaccine, there's actually overwhelming acceptance and demand for approved Covid-19 vaccines. He says there's no reason to not trust an officially approved vaccine, as they must go through rigorous processes to assess safety.

While it may be the case that certain vaccines have been approved by regulatory bodies like the US FDA, other experts like DKSH's Global Head of Health & Business Bijay Singh said we really need to see more data on the efficacy of some of the indigenous vaccines like Russia's Sputnik-V and China's CoronaVac to be fully confident and have full acceptance of Covid-19 vaccines.

? Watch our chat on vaccine hesitancy here:

The role of small business in vaccination and mental health support

Bernaert tells me, "Small corporations are probably the most trusted bodies to employees and they have a role to play. When you get to an employee you get to a community, and when you get into a community you get to disseminate that knowledge."

It goes both ways. He says, "Those small employers are more reliant on employees than large corporations, but in return those employees are much more reliant on their small employers for support and information."

When it comes to providing mental health care to individuals, Bernaert says small German company HelloBetter is an excellent example of using clinically proven solutions to support mental health care.

? Watch the final part of our chat here:

Hear Arnaud Bernaert and more experts and professionals in the Covid-19 vaccine supply chain speak at Alcott Global's all-digital Makers and Movers Cold Chain Summit on February 4th. Register for free here.

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