VACCINE TOURISM & VACCINE PASSPORT

Subject: Science & tech

Context: ‘Vaccine tourism’ resurfaces after Indians scramble to book Moscow trip for Sputnik jabs.

Concept:

Vaccine tourism means visiting another country or state to get a vaccine not available to you at home.
Right now, vaccine tourism is all about the COVID-19 vaccine, which has had a slow rollout in many states and isn’t yet available worldwide.
In the US and other countries that have the vaccine, some populations are getting priority, such as the elderly and health care workers.
But some people who don’t fall into these groups have reportedly been jumping the line and traveling elsewhere for their shots.

Vaccine Passports:

A vaccine passport is an e-certificate that stores and records jabs and Covid-19 test status.
It can be kept in a smartphone app or in other digital formats.
Its contents can be flashed at security checkpoints when people travel across borders.
The idea is modelled on the proof of vaccination that several countries required even before the pandemic.
Travellers from many African countries to the USA or India are required to submit proof that they have been vaccinated against diseases such as yellow fever.
In February 2021, Israel became the first country to introduce a certification system that allows those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 to access certain facilities and events.