no one ever called a proof of yellow fever or cholera certificate a vaccination passport, so there’s no reason to use the term for covid-19. but human rights advocates have waded into the controversy to raise concerns about abuse of privacy. of course, if you call a vaccine card a passport, it should come as no surprise that people get riled up because passports do contain personal information. but vaccination certificates are not passports, and do not contain the kind of personal or private health information some are worried about. it is hard to see what privacy issue at stake, and how a vaccination certificate causes discrimination.
i have had vaccination certificates for years. i am sure some of you have, as well. some countries require proof of vaccination for specific conditions or you don’t get in. so, if you happen to be travelling somewhere, you check what’s required, go to a clinic for a shot, get the appropriate certificate and official stamp, and off you go. there is no other medical information recorded. rich or poor, black or blue, you get the same certificate. no discrimination.
a covid vaccination card or certificate is, and should, be no different. if you are fully vaccinated, it says so. nothing more, nothing less. in fact, many of us in ontario and across the country, already have our vaccination certificates. after your first and second shots, you get a piece of paper showing you have received the required two doses and therefore are fully vaccinated. the same information is sent to you digitally, so that, if necessary, it can be scanned. there is no indication that your personal medical information is recorded. there is no indication your privacy is in any way compromised. if, for some medical or other reason you can’t be vaccinated, you take a covid test.
what governments should do is standardize what passes for a covid vaccination certificate, so that if you show one anywhere in the country or the world where proof of vaccination is required, it is accepted, just as a yellow fever or cholera card has been for decades. we don’t need to
reinvent the wheel
.