The planned coronavirus vaccine passports may get the country safely moving again.
The government has started to develop the "vaccine passport," a document showing proof of vaccination status of a person, to facilitate movement in and out of the country. The Department of Information and Communications Technology is in charge of developing the proposed vaccine passport, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.
"The government is planning to provide international recognized vaccine passports as proof or certificate that an individual has been vaccinated," Nograles said in his presentation during a virtual forum organized by Anvil Business Club Tuesday, August 10.
"This passport could be used in entry points such as airports and could form part of Philippine health protocols," he added.
Nograles said the proposed vaccine passports would contain information about the vaccinated individual. "Filipinos who would be vaccinated would be assured a passport that would identify which vaccines the patients received and if with either one dose or two doses," he added.
More than 11 million adult Filipinos have been fully vaccinated so far since the government's vaccination program started last March. The country has already secured 38.6 million doses of vaccines of the 164 million procured by the government.
"We will need to vaccinate at least 500,000 daily as supplies will allow," Nograles said.
The government aims to vaccinate 50 to 70 million Filipinos to prevent hospitalization and deaths due to COVID-19, he added.