RTWed, 10 Feb 2021 14:08 UTC
© REUTERS/Luke MacGregor
, while insisting that there are still no plans to roll out similar ID for domestic purposes.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday, Shapps said that
he has been consulting with his counterparts in Singapore and the United States, as well as a major aviation lobbying group, about the implementation of a globally recognised certification system to verify Covid-19 vaccinations status and test results.
"I imagine that in the future there will be an international system where countries will want to know that you have been potentially vaccinated or potentially had tests taken before flying," the transportation secretary told the BBC.
He acknowledged that
there was confusion about the initiative because the UK government has repeatedly denied that it was planning "domestic passports," which he said were "not on the cards."
Shapps also
warmed Britons against booking summer holidays, saying it is currently "illegal" to engage in non-essential travel and that it's still unclear what kind of restrictions will be in place in the coming months. He claimed that resuming
normal travel and tourism will require "everybody having their vaccinations," adding that an "international unlock" would only be possible once other countries step up their vaccination programs.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a major airline lobbying group, revealed on Tuesday that it was in talks with the UK government about its 'Travel Pass' initiative, a mobile app that provides proof of vaccination and Covid-19 status and is currently being trialled by Etihad, Emirates, and Singapore airlines. Around 20 airlines will be testing the IATA app starting in March.
Downing Street has said on multiple occasions that it is not considering identification that shows proof of vaccination.
Last month, Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said there were "absolutely no plans" for vaccine passports, amid growing concerns that Covid-related ID would be required to gain entry to restaurants, businesses and other establishments. He also said that making the vaccine mandatory was "discriminatory and completely wrong."
The concept of a vaccine passport has been a hot button issue in the UK and elsewhere as nations grapple with how to safely reopen their borders. A petition calling for the UK government to reject the idea of issuing Covid-19 passports for international travel has garnered nearly 77,000 signatures at the time of writing. However, figures like former Prime Minister Tony Blair have argued that the proposed ID is "inevitable" and that the UK should use its role as president of the G7 to ensure that a globally recognised form of identification is adopted.
Comment: While the West prepares a dystopian future for its citizens, Russia is saying that soon enough none of these measures will be necessary because herd immunity will have been
achieved and citizens
should be free to go back to life as normal.
The Sun reports that the UK intends for these experimental coronvirus vaccines to become like the useless, albeit
dangerous, flu vaccine. Note that the safety of these vaccines is still up for debate, Switzerland, as just one example, has
banne d their use until more data is available:
"We should start to think about it as a flu jab, as something elderly or vulnerable people make sure they have every year.
"I have no doubt that the vaccines will get better and better at being able to cover for all variants."
© AFP or licensorsBoris said today the nation would have to get used to rolling vaccinations
At the weekend scientists and ministers warned a boost jab might be needed for people later this year to tackle the new variants which are spreading across the world.
The vaccines so far do have an affect on the new strains, according to early research, but some mild illness is still occurring in some studies.
In order to combat that, scientists are looking at tweaking their vaccines, ready for boosters later in the year if needed.
It comes after The Sun revealed last night just one Covid jab offers two-thirds protection against the virus, the first official data from the vaccine blitz reveals.
Findings — due out in days — will show the Pfizer vaccine starts to work in as little as two weeks and is equally effective in OAPs as younger adults.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab offers similar protection.
The good news — as Sir Michael Caine backed the jabs drive and the number vaccinated rose to 12.65million — raises hopes of an earlier exit from lockdown.
The dose reduced the symptomatic infection risk by 65 per cent in younger adults, and 64 per cent in over-80s.
Experts found Brits given two shots of the jab saw protection rise to between 79 and 84 per cent, depending on age.
Although lower than the 95 per cent efficacy shown in clinical trials, the figures remain hugely encouraging.
Early data suggests hospital cases among immunised older Brits have started falling to a "fraction of previous levels".
A Government source said: "One of the key findings is the Pfizer vaccine is having just as big an impact in over-80s as in under-65s.
"The only difference is that protection starts after 15 days in younger age groups, but it takes three weeks for it to work in older people."
Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the data was "quite amazing".
He told The Sun: "If these numbers are borne out, then they are very reassuring.
"If they are achieving 65 per cent protection after three weeks with both jabs, then I think that's really good.
"And that's a vindication of our current strategy as it protects more people than giving two doses three weeks apart.
"I am still, despite the South African strain, quite confident that we will see a gradual opening of the society, probably starting with schools opening early March."
Fox News
reports that Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is pending emergency authorisation by the FDA - this means that its not proven to be safe to use - and they're also claiming that these vaccines will become like annual flu jabs:
"Unfortunately, as [the virus] spreads, it can also mutate," Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson CEO recently told CNBC. "Every time it mutates, it's almost like another click of the dial so to speak where we can see another variant, another mutation that can have an impact on its ability to fend off antibodies or to have a different kind of response not only to a therapeutic but also to a vaccine."
Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, which is pending FDA emergency use authorization, is a one-dose jab that was developing using an adenovirus rather than mRNA technology relied on by Moderna and Pfizer. Interestingly, Johnson & Johnson's vaccine showed 66% efficacy in a global trial, whereas the other two showed around 94% to 95% efficacy against the virus.
The company also has a two-dose vaccine in the works, but trial data is not expected until later this year, Gorsky told CNBC.
Both Moderna and Pfizer have vouched for their vaccines' ability to fend off coronavirus variants, though Dr. Anthony Fauci has said the South African variant may prove troublesome as has shown to have "clinical consequences."
Fauci said the variants should serve as a "wake-up call" to governments and companies currently developing vaccines that it is essential to "be nimble to be able to readily adjust, readily make versions of the vaccine that actually are specifically directed toward whatever mutation is actually prevalent at any given time."
That said, Pfizer has previously touted its mRNA technology's "flexibility," which could easily allow for tweaks to the product should the need arise.
For more on these experimental vaccines, see:
And check out SOTT radio's
NewsReal #34: Covid By Numbers:
[Link]