Surely vaccination certificates for international travel will become a must?

[Circumlocutious]

At least, say, for the next 3-5 years.

The emergence of these new coronavirus variants, including in South Africa, really make this point obvious. Why would you invest huge amounts of resources into vaccinating your population against covid, only for the virus to mutate somewhere halfway across the world, then get reimported back into your country? Especially if your current crop of vaccines can’t be guaranteed to work against the mutation. And then there’s always the risk of it mutating into something more virulent or affecting younger people (unlikely but can’t be completely ruled out).

Imagine panicking again and ending up with more lockdowns as the variant takes hold in your country, waiting for another vaccine...

So far we’ve avoided proper border controls in the UK (I mean, even business travellers were recently made exempt from quarantine requirements...) but I can see that changing as the promise of normality - and the threat of further mutations - become clear. Vaccine certificates or strict quarantine, similar to NZ style.

Thoughts?

Yes I’d have thought so, absolutely. Like yellow fever, typhoid etc.

Yup. Reckon so. Wouldn't have a problem with that.

Agree OP. I remember DH and I discussing it on our lockdown walks back in the spring. Don't have a problem with that myself, as pp said you have to have it for Yellow Fever currently.

Yes as long as they can make them fraud proof etc.

What about under 18s?

Yes. And this is why everyone will need to be given the option to be vaccinated.

Yep, I think it will be impossible to fly w/out vaccine

I don’t think vaccination certificates will be necessary. I would support them though!

What I do think will happen is wouldn’t be able to get travel insurance to cover you. That will focus people, who want to travel to either get vaccinated or lie on their insurance and risk not being covered if they fall ill. Fall ill somewhere like the USA and need medication / hospitalisation / ventilation and you may as well sign your house over to them!

Yes, I agree a vaccine certificate will be required, but it wont deal with the possibility someone brings in a mutated virus that the vaccine doesnt work against. If the vaccine isnt effective against a strain, I can carry a certificate, and still be infectious against the new strain.

Vaccination doesn't necessarily stop you transmitting. A negative test prior to travel and or a test on arrival might cut it.

There’s no proof yet that the vaccine stops you carrying and transmitting the virus. So I don’t see much point.

It would mean you are not likely to need medical attention which is a plus.

I doubt it. A previous poster mentioned yellow fever as an illness needing vaccination in order to travel, but that has a far higher mortality rate (about 70% I think?).

I think economic need will get us travelling far before the vaccine is available to the young and healthy.

@InTheLongGrass

Yes, I agree a vaccine certificate will be required, but it wont deal with the possibility someone brings in a mutated virus that the vaccine doesnt work against. If the vaccine isnt effective against a strain, I can carry a certificate, and still be infectious against the new strain.

True. My logic clearly fails here.

I used to see headlines about all these new innovative covid tests that were in the early stages of testing (eg covid breath tests)...still a way away, but maybe that’s what’s in store.