DOH: Gov't to issue COVID-19 vaccine passports to vaccine recipients

The Philippines will issue a COVID-19 vaccine passport to Filipinos who will receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday.

“Magkakaroon tayo ng data registry for all recipients ng vaccine. Magkakaroon ng QR code ang bawat isang makakareceive ng bakunang ito. Magkakaroon [rin sila] ng [vaccine] card na sinasabi na sila ay nabakunahan whether one or two doses,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

“This will serve as a certificate that they have been vaccinated,” Vergeire added.

The undersecretary said that this is in line with the likely implementation of vaccine passport policies by other countries which will require travelers to be inoculated for COVID-19 before allowing entry.

“Itong vaccine passport, sa tingin ko po, maipapatupad ‘yan. Ang when it is implemented already, I guess this will be part of the protocol for border control of each country,” Vergeire said.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said that the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program in the country would start in February with COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca.

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, has only issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Pfizer-BioNTech after it found it to be 95% effective in its study population and 92% effective among all races.

The EUA application of AstraZeneca and Sinovac are still pending before the Philippine FDA.

The government will provide COVID-19 vaccines to the population for free but the populace won't have the luxury to choose the brand due to limited vaccine supply.

Getting the vaccine, however, is strictly voluntary.

The Philippines has registered 494,605 COVID-19 cases so far. Of this number, 459, 252 recovered while 9,739 died.

The number of active COVID-19 cases is at 25,614. — DVM, GMA News