What seemed almost unthinkable at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic is now real: Vaccines were developed in record time to get them under control. That brought much-needed hope into a Christmas season that was otherwise overshadowed by death and fear.

But while preparations for mass vaccinations are being made worldwide, waiting the public still for answers to basic questions: Who will get a vaccination and when? How do you get informed about it? Will workplaces, schools or authorities want to see a vaccination certificate before we can enter them? While it is still emphasized here in Germany that this is out of the question, other countries are already in the process of preparing such steps.

Everything revolves around “vaccination certificates” or “immunity passports” That is, analog or digital proof of vaccination. Some experts see it as a way to get back to everyday life. Others, on the other hand, warn of data protection risks and the risk of discrimination and abuse.

These discussions are still largely speculative. However, questions of verification, data protection and ethics do not only concern vaccination. Governments and companies are already using corona information on a daily basis to decide what is permitted for whom.

Vaccination files are not new, but used differently There would be nothing revolutionary about an obligation to prove one’s own vaccination against a pathogen. Some countries require proof of a yellow fever vaccination upon entry, many schools only accept children with a current vaccination status. An official record of who received which vaccination is not new either. National and local governments around the world operate registers that are fed by doctors with vaccination information.

But behind the scenes there is some activity to expand this use, sometimes very quickly. Governments, airlines, employers, universities and many other bodies are discussing intensely how and why people should provide verified health data.

Some of the terms used in this discussion are confusing. Immunity pass, for example: in some situations it could work like a real passport – you could arrive at a foreign airport, pull out your smartphone and scan a digital entry for vaccination or a negative test result. Similarly, such entries could serve as access control at work or to restaurants, bars or shopping centers.

Such methods could bring us back to “normality”, argue their supporters. However, there are both medical and technical obstacles to their use.

Immunization does not (yet) bring security While several vaccines are very effective at doing so, no symptoms of Covid – 19 to break out; however, it is not yet clear whether they will also prevent infection and the asymptomatic spread of the virus. Studies of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine suggested it could reduce the transmission of the virus by carriers with no symptoms. In studies by Pfizer and Moderna, however, it was not regularly checked whether the symptom-free test subjects were infected with the virus.

Whether a vaccination also prevents you from infecting others with the coronavirus, and how long your own Immunity persists, further data will only reveal more precisely. It should also not be forgotten that the answers can be different for different vaccines.

Until such crucial information is available, a vaccination certificate is of limited informative value: it only proves that you received a Vaccinated – but not that you don’t have or can’t get the virus. For the time being, the best evidence that there is no risk of infection remains a negative corona test. But because such tests are not perfect either, everyone should continue to observe the official guidelines to avoid further spread.

Digital files against counterfeiting A booming black market has already emerged for counterfeit test results, which gives confidence in makes printed evidence dwindle. Against this background, interest in forgery-proof digital documents is increasing.

Many governments, airlines and other companies are experimenting with apps as “health passports”. Their users can ask participating laboratories and health systems to send authenticated test results and other data directly to the app, which solves the problem of verification.

Many providers cavort in this field, including IBM, the Commons Project and the Covid Credentials Initiative. They approach the problem in different ways, but ultimately have the same goal: People should be able to share the information they need about their medical condition while protecting the rest of their privacy. But a quick solution for widespread use is not yet available.

Connecting systems is difficult Currently, most pass app vendors focus on test scores. But their technologies could also work with vaccination data – provided all systems work together.

Unfortunately, this is a much bigger challenge than signing agreements with a few large test providers. Every connection of systems across borders means that a patchwork of languages, databases and data protection laws come into play. Even in the UK, where the National Health System operates a vaccination database, the government has suspended discussions about “passports” for vaccinated people.

In the US, universal proof of vaccination could be next to impossible because There patient data is distributed over tens of thousands of companies in the healthcare sector. Forget about standards for digital interoperability – many American doctors still fax files. Most vaccinations are kept in state or local registers. But their use for digital verification could fail due to legal and technical factors.

Not a perfect one Solution for everyone Even if the necessary technical aids were available: forbidding people to do normal activities because of their vaccination status is difficult ethical and legal problems with itself. There is still no compulsory vaccination in any country. In addition, many otherwise entitled (e.g. pregnant women or allergy sufferers) are advised to wait until more data are available before vaccinating.

In addition, some people do not want or can not use a smartphone for their medical data. This could particularly apply to groups that are hardest hit by the pandemic, i.e. the elderly, the homeless or people without papers.

And if countries with considerable resources have to master some challenges, it is hard to imagine that every small clinic around the world issues QR codes for their vaccinations.

Everyday life will still be a long time coming Regardless of how enthusiastically citizens and companies are prepared to return to normal with the help of vaccination certificates: There are still many reasons to be skeptical about a high-tech solution for all problems .

Even if all layers of digital and analog infrastructure were to communicate with each other, it is still not known whether a vaccination also means protection for one’s own environment.

Currently living we in a world where there is real progress in one respect: vaccines have been developed at breathtaking speed. They are currently being distributed to patients around the world by air and truck. In the meantime, we have to wait a little longer for normality to return.

Collaboration: Mia Sato

The original version of this article was supported by the “Pandemic Technology Project” of the Rockefeller Foundation.

(sma)