São Paulo – Bahrain has launched a digital COVID-19 vaccine passport, the first Gulf state to do so, local media reported on Wednesday (17). It acts as proof of immunization against COVID-19 for its carrier to aid a reopening of travel between countries and cities.
The country’s BeAware app will update a user’s immunity status two weeks after receiving both doses of the vaccine, allowing for the time it takes for antibodies to develop and offer protection against coronavirus. The app will present a green “COVID-19 vaccinated” shield with the user’s name, date of birth, nationality and which vaccine they received.
Authorities can verify the user’s status by scanning a QR code linking to the Bahrain’s vaccine register. Residents have a choice of four vaccines in the country, all without charge: Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Sputnik V, the United Arab Emirates’ newspaper The National reported in its website.
According to the World Health Organization’s latest figures, Bahrain has reported 114,361 cases and 410 deaths. The Arab country is a small island state with a population of around 1.5 million and is part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Similar vaccine passport programs are being considered in European countries, not just to aid a reopening of travel but to allow the hospitality sector to recover by welcoming back customers. The passport would have to be accepted and recognized worldwide before it can be used as a travel stamp allowing crossing into other nations without the need to quarantine.
The idea of vaccine passports was mooted across Europe, not just to aid a reopening of travel but to allow the hospitality sector to recover by welcoming back customers, but governments are split on a bloc-wide endorsement of vaccination passports as critics say there is a lack of evidence that vaccines effectively prohibit transmission and too little is known about emerging new variants.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
