Coronavirus immunity passports: why are they needed and how can they harm society

“Immunity Passports” were proposed as one of the ways to restore the economy after the coronavirus pandemic. The presence of so-called immunity passports will depend on the results of a test for antibodies to coronavirus. If you have antibodies to coronavirus, you can be protected from reinfection and, therefore, you can get the right to work and circulate in society without risk to yourself and others. Writes about it NPR.

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At least that is the idea. But it "can do far more harm than good," says Natalie Kofler, who teaches bioethics at Harvard Medical School.

Kofler says a system that depends on a blood test can cut off an already marginalized population from access to critical government resources, in which an “immunity dictated status” will decide “where they can go and what they can do.”

In any case, according to her, scientists are not sure that it is generally possible to achieve immunity from coronavirus and how long this immunity will last.

“I'm really concerned that too much time and money is being devoted to policies that, first of all, are likely not going to work and are also going to create more risks than benefits,” Kofler said.

Who is interested in using "immunity passports"

Governments, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Chile, have in fact already begun issuing their version of the immunity passport.

On the subject: WHO: the presence of antibodies to coronavirus does not mean that a person is immune to COVID-19

Private companies are also interested, in particular, in partnership with certain application developers to create applications that would allow people to check and display their immunity status on their phones, in which case private companies, such as certain hotels and even sports events, can control who can enter the room.

“Another issue this issue raises is equity: the poor simply won't have access to immunity passports,” Kofler says. “Those who are already marginalized by society—the poor, minority groups—often end up in line for access to these valuable resources.” So we are very concerned about who will actually be able to prove their immunity. There may be people who simply won't be able to access society because they can't even prove their immune status."

If passports of immunity are not the answer, then

“I really think the focus now needs to be on making sure we have a vaccine, but one that is also available to the public. And I support maybe thinking about new ways to protect particularly vulnerable places where a lot of people are exposed,” Kofler said.

“It's possible that, for example, to enter nursing homes or certain penitentiary facilities where there is a high density of people who are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, one would need to be tested for antibodies right there,” Kofler says. “But not at the individual level, where everyone will be dependent on their immune status, which will decide where they can go and what they can do.” I think it could do a lot more harm than good."

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