March 19, 2021 | 20:35 (GMT+7)
Vietnam to ensure “safety first” with “COVID-19 vaccine passport” scheme
Standing members of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control have discussed the preparation of technical and policy solutions to implement the “COVID-19 vaccine passport” scheme while ensuring the principle of “safety first”.
Addressing the March 19 meeting, Deputy Director of the Medical Solution Center at the Viettel Business Solutions Corporation Luu The Anh, said Viettel is closely coordinating with the Ministry of Health and related ministries and sectors to review and carry out the “COVID-19 vaccine passport” scheme.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that from the perspective of the health sector, the “COVID-19 vaccine passport” is essentially a certificate confirming the holder has had two shots of COVID-19 vaccine, regulated in line with the Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases and international health quarantine regulations. Passport holders will not be quarantined and tested for COVID-19, but some other countries still require testing.
Vietnam is working with countries around the world on the acceptance of the passport through QR codes.
To get the “COVID-19 vaccine passport”, people will provide their personal information when receiving a vaccination, which is checked on a validation system. After two injections, the relevant information is confirmed by a QR code. When going abroad, people’s information will be verified when scanning the QR code.
The Ministry of Health and Viettel are piloting the passport scheme at COVID-19 vaccination centres, to evaluate the capacity and compatibility of these facilities.
Meanwhile, relevant technical infrastructure to receive foreign visitors with COVID-19 vaccine passport is expected to be completed and ready for use from April.
The Ministry of Health continues to work with foreign health agencies to shortly participate in a joint effort of the international community to facilitate trade activities and travel for those who have been vaccinated.
According to the ministry, as of 11am on March 19, nearly 122 million COVID-19 infections had been reported worldwide, with more than 2.69 million fatalities in 221 countries and territories.
Source: VNA