7 principles for a standard health passport: Can travel get it right?

Many outstanding questions need to be addressed in order to allow proof of vaccination for international travel. But these issues should not hinder the urgent development of a robust international health passport infrastructure, because eventually the objections will be addressed. In the meantime, COVID-19 test data included in the digital health passport can alleviate congestion in airports and therefore decrease probability of contagion.

According to Phocuswright’s latest travel research report, Health and Immunity Passports: Can Travel Get it Right?, several design principles are emerging and should be agreed upon when a consolidated standard is available.

1. Minimum required collection and transmission of data
2. Data privacy
3. Decentralized management
4. Security
5. Flexibility
6. Integration with digital identification
7. Respect for thorough testing

If effective leadership is found and the necessary steps are taken promptly, 2021 can usher in the safe recovery of the travel industry, for all and for the future. Health passport infrastructure is not only required to improve operations of travel providers in the presence of the current pandemic, but can also help stop and better control international spread of diseases in the future.

The full article covers:

• Summary of Health and Vaccine Passport and Certificate Initiatives
• An epidemiological perspective
• Ethical, economic and policy perspectives
• Operational and technological perspectives
• International positions

Read the article here, or become an Open Access subscriber to get this and every other report in the Phocuswright research library.