Questions arise over how Vietnam will implement plan for vaccine passports
VOV.VN - Each citizen will be granted an injection certificate and a QR-Code confirmation after being injected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, according to information released during a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control held on March 19 in Hanoi.
Luu The Anh, deputy director of Medical Solution Center of the Viettel Business Solutions Corporation, said that the unit is currently working closely alongside the Ministry of Health and other relevant ministries in order to carry out a "vaccine passport" plan.
Vaccine passports will allow people to track the vaccination history of themselves or their family members after being inoculated. Once given the COVID-19 vaccination, individuals will then be given an injection certificate and a QR-Code confirmation.
Management agencies will be primarily responsible for information and data which can serve the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination programme and provides tools in which to monitor information regarding vaccinated people.
From the perspective of the approach taken by the local health sector, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long stated that the "vaccine passport" is actually a certificate proving that individuals have had two full jabs of the COVID-19 vaccine. This will be regulated by the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases and the International Health Quarantine Regulations which allows vaccine passport holders to not be isolated or to be tested for COVID-19 due to some countries still requiring negative test results.
At present, the country is working with partners globally on the acceptance of the "vaccine passport" through a QR-code.
After receiving two shots of the vaccine, the information system will be updated to provide an authenticated QR-code for people. When going abroad, people will be able to scan the QR-code, access the right data source, and verify information regarding their injections.
Currently, the Ministry of Health and Viettel Military Industry - Telecommunication Corporation are attempting to pilot COVID-19 vaccination sites in order to evaluate the capacity and compatibility of facilities in which to deploy the "passport vaccine" plan.
“In the time ahead, when going to be vaccinated, people have to download an electronic profile application to re-declare necessary information. Medical facilities will have to scan QR-codes instead of performing paper work, and provide people with information about vaccines, vaccination terms and then people will be screened for vaccination, and monitored after inoculation to finalize the injection process,” the Health Minister stated.
For foreigners, representatives of various ministries and major mobile network providers said that the technical infrastructure system will be completed and ready to be deployed from April.
With regard to specific policies and guidelines, the Ministry of Health will continue to work alongside foreign health agencies to ensure that the country can soon become involved in the international community's joint efforts to facilitate trade exchanges. In addition, the passport will allow international travel for people who have been inoculated against COVID-19 in other countries.
