Health

Brits may need Covid booster jab EVERY time they go on holiday, expert warns


BRITS could face having a jab every time they travel to get a vaccine passport.

As countries consider bringing in rules to keep Covid-safe, experts probed what this might mean for work or holidays.

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Travellers could need new vaccine passports for each trip, an expert suggested

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Travellers could need new vaccine passports for each trip, an expert suggestedCredit: AFP

Christopher Dye, Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford and one of the lead authors on the report, said travellers could have to prove they are freshly jabbed – due to current uncertainty over the length of immunity.

This may mean getting new vaccine passports every few months, or for each trip, he said.

He added: “Ideally you would have long lasting immunity and perhaps there would be a requirement you need a vaccine top up every year.

“But shorter periods than that – if we thought that the period of protection was just a matter of months – then the sort of protection we might require when one travels internationally… one is vaccinated each time on each occasion for each particular trip.

“That would take into account protection when we are not sure how long they last.”

He said each passport could be used “just for a matter of months”, or that different countries could require different vaccines to enter.

The professor said: “There are some emerging concerns that are being discussed publicly about certain vaccines not working against certain variants.

“It is conceivable in the future if there turns out to be different vaccines we could have different criteria. But I hope that doesn’t happen.”

VACCINE VACATION

The study, published in the Royal Society, found vaccine passports are “feasible” but can’t be brought in yet.

Scientists argued more evidence is needed on immunity, and “broader discussions” required to make sure any system would be fair, secure and standardised. 

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, told The Sun: “Current information suggests that protection from re- infection can last for at least six-eight months after the first infection. 

“It is likely that two doses of vaccine will provide for longer protection but we will have to wait to see as we have no data on this at present. 

“Booster jabs, particularly to protect from infection with virus variants, is very likely later this year. 

“What qualifies for protective immunity to permit international travel will be an issue. 

But shorter periods than that – if we thought that the period of protection was just a matter of months – then the sort of protection we might require when one travels internationally… one is vaccinated each time on each occasion for each particular trip.

Professor Christopher Dye

“Perhaps blood tests to determine antibody levels to the virus will be necessary but we don’t really know what level of immunity correlates with protection from infection. 

“And, of course, the big question is whether vaccination protects from transmission  – an important factor if other countries are considering letting folk travel from other countries.”

A vaccine passport would be an app or document proving the passenger has received a coronavirus vaccine.

Other versions of a vaccine passport proposed by some governments across the globe would include an option which states that you have had a negative Covid test 72 hours prior to travel.

The World Economic Forum and the Commons Project Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit group, are currently testing a version called CommonPass.

A survey of 2,000 adults revealed 68 per cent support vaccination passports for people heading out of the UK on holiday and business.

And more than three quarters (77 per cent) think tourists entering the UK should also be able to provide proof they have been vaccinated.

However, The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said they shouldn’t be introduced due to the “critical unknowns” regarding the efficacy of vaccination in reducing transmission.

 

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