Economist Podcasts You shall not pass: standardising vaccine passports
Oct 25, 2021
Avantika Chilkoti, an international correspondent, discusses the chaotic landscape of COVID vaccination certificates, highlighting the difficulties in standardizing these digital health passes. She illustrates the complexities faced by travelers due to incompatible systems across nations. The episode also touches on Uzbekistan's presidential election and the challenges continuing under Shavkat Mirziyoyev's leadership. Additionally, it explores The Economist's venture into Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), emphasizing their potential in the art world and the associated hurdles.
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Passport Standardization
- During World War I, governments introduced various travel documents, creating a fragmented system.
- The League of Nations stepped in after the armistice and standardized passports globally.
Vaccine Passport Incompatibility
- Vaccine passports lack standardization, creating a patchwork of different systems.
- This incompatibility burdens airports, leading to inefficient document checks and increased forgery.
WHO's Hesitation
- The WHO is hesitant to create a universal vaccine passport due to concerns about vaccine inequity and technical challenges.
- They are reluctant to decide which vaccines are acceptable and create an enforcement mechanism.