Vaccine passports are not factored into international travel or did I miss something ?

[user19097527484949]

Correct me if I've misunderstood, but with the new travel rules, not much has been said about whether having the vaccine actually makes travel any easier?

It's not a condition of travel and it doesn't get you out of quarantining, right ?

I just keep hearing from my European relatives that their vaccine passport will get them out of having to quarantine. I don't have many details on this and how it relates to us. The only thing Grant Shapps mentioned yesterday is that you can use the NHS app as proof of vaccination. But he didn't say why you would require that, or did I miss something ? I was trying to look after a toddlers whilst following the announcement.

floppy it doesn't show on mine yet but don't think its fully ready and set up yet. My app still says i have to contact GP to view records. Its all still up in the air- Portugal for example isn't even letting uk residents in for holidays so green list is irrelevant

Going back to the vaccine, proof of status is only being suggested from June etc for many countries so I expect by summer the vaccine status will massively help travel. Its not actually discriminatory imo as many countries require vaccine status for entry and there are alternative options for people to enter via testing if they refuse or can't be vaccinated

The vaccine doesn’t stop you spreading or getting infected which is why you need a test. That is why vaccine passports alone are pointless

It’s reduces infection severity and prevents hospitalisations - that’s just first dose too

Eventually no one will care who’s got it as people won’t get ill. It’ll be treated same as other viruses that make you ill for couple weeks. In couple months when EU catch up I predict no testing at all or isolation for anyone who’s vaccinated

@Nerdygirl

The vaccine doesn’t stop you spreading or getting infected which is why you need a test. That is why vaccine passports alone are pointless

They said this at first but there is now definative evidence that the vaccine prevents transmission.

Yeah look at the situation in Germany, they're allowing vaccinated people to do more things. Like meeting up with other vaccinated people Same in US, lots of freedoms for the vaccinated.
They don't have the in built reluctance to do anything that isn't fair like we do in the UK. Though I do agree that vaccination should not give extra freedoms until everyone has at least been offered it.

Reduces the transmission doesn’t prevent it!

@Kyph definitely a very good point with the reluctance against anything that could be considered unfair ! Never thought of it like that, but it's true !

And you're very right on the transmission point too. So many times on MN people are commenting that the vaccine doesn't reduce transmission. This is false !! It's lowers it by a significant degree.

@Nerdygirl

Reduces the transmission doesn’t prevent it!

Vaccine also reduces severe disease and death but doesn't prevent it !!

"an NHS app which could access your medical records"

I put this on my phone but it sees almost nothing about me -- apparently I could ask my GP to activate it to see my detailed records, but only IF my GP has signed up to allow what. I guess I could ring the practice to ask, but if they haven't signed up, the practice manager won't even understand the question.

-> It's not like this NHS app is universally available.

I am fairly convinced the vaccine WILL stop a lot of transmission, but that's hard to prove. And what % of people it stops transmission for -- will also wane over time, it's a % decline thing. Even harder to measure.

Yeah look at the situation in Germany, they're allowing vaccinated people to do more things. Like meeting up with other vaccinated people

This is not true. There was a discussion on doing this in the German Parliament last week. But they will have to address how they might police this, what the societal impact might be, and then pass legislation to bring it into force. So they are a long way from this actually happening.

@oystercatcher44 I read this and my relatives have also told me that it's happening. It's also definitely happening in the United States already.

www.tagesschau.de/lockerungen-geimpfte-105.html

@user19097527484949

I think we may both be half right. It depends where in Germany your relatives live.

Despite the headline, my reading of that article is that the German Parliament has been unable to agree Germany wide on more rights for vaccinated people. They are under pressure from some quarters to do this, but since that would impact on citizens fundamental rights they could not reach an agreement and the decision was postponed. “Die Entscheidung wurde vertragt”

What some, but not all Bundeslander, have done is to say that if someone has a vaccine certificate, or evidence to show that they have recovered from Covid, they can go to the hairdresser, get a shopping appointment etc without first having to get a negative test. It does not give them MORE rights than other people. It puts them on an even footing with those who have had a negative test that day. Not sure that this is a massive advantage to be honest as it is now so easy to get a free test done.

Some - but not all - have gone further and said that people returning to their particular Bundesland from “a risk area” as defined by the Robert Koch institute will not have to quarantine if they have been fully vaccinated. (This does not include areas with variants of concern).

I cannot find any reference to vaccinated people being able to mix with more people than those who have not been vaccinated.

@oystercatcher44

I also read this one :

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/corona-lockerungen-regeln-geimpfte-100.html

Which talks about meetings as well. I don't know which info is correct, but my relatives are under the impression it's allowed. In any case, I think the point to highlight is just that difference in approach there and in the USA. My relatives in Germany keep telling me ' oh yeah we are getting the vaccine so we can do quarantine free travel ' or ' we can do XYZ because we are vaccinated ' what about you ? Or ' when you come here, you won't need to quarantine, because you've had both vaccines.' etc. I feel like the media over there is saying all this stuff to them. The whole narrative around it is quite different in the UK: I'm not saying I agree or disagree, but just pointing out the different narrative, which I find intriguing.

For those saying that the NHS App doesn’t show anything, you should be able to see your medicine record (which lists the vaccine once you’ve had it) and allergies. You only have to contact your GP for your full health record to be shown. If I recall, when I set it up it asked me whether I wanted to link to my record and it then showed my medicines and allergies.

@BunsyGirl

For those saying that the NHS App doesn’t show anything, you should be able to see your medicine record (which lists the vaccine once you’ve had it) and allergies. You only have to contact your GP for your full health record to be shown. If I recall, when I set it up it asked me whether I wanted to link to my record and it then showed my medicines and allergies.

Yes I didn't need to contact my GP to access my medicines, which lists the vaccine. Play around with it a bit, you shouldn't need to contact GP.

Also, you will have to prove your ID before your basic health record is shown. I had to upload my driving licence and the app scanned my face. An hour or so later I got confirmation and I could then see my medicines and allergies record. TBH, I found it amazing...it shows the exact date I had a severe allergic reaction to a prescribed medicine 45 years ago!

Everyone over 16 in the US has now been offered the vaccine, and it'll be available to over-12s very soon. The goal now is to persuade those who are reluctant to get the vax.

Hence the vaccinated being given more freedoms.

I have American relatives who want the jab & haven't had it yet. Maybe not that universally offered yet. It's a state by state programme.

All states are offering it to over 16s and have done since April 19th. Which state are your relatives living in?

South Dakota, WA, CA, FL, AZ, NY, GA, TX.
Those are just the ones I'm in touch with on Facebook.
I'll find a discreet way to ask. Maybe they have surprised me by not announcing their vaccine experience.

Of my 136 Facebook 'Friends', about 60% American, precisely one person has made vaccine-hesitant posts ever, while many are frequent vaccine promoters and lockdown supporters. Some have shown off their jab moments.

Some articles about slow(ing) vaccine delivery.

www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-doses-states/

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/05/04/us/vaccine-rollout-slowing.html

www.kff.org/policy-watch/supply-vs-demand-which-states-are-reaching-their-covid-19-vaccine-tipping-points/

I have friends in TX, OH, DE and NC, they're early 30s and all have had the vaccine, but I appreciate that's very anecdotal! Those are the ones that have posted about it anyway.

I know quite a lot of people who only had the vaccine because they thought they'd be restricted from doing things like travel if they didn't. I'm being bombarded by adverts for vaccination by Facebook as well as the government so it's clearly a very heavy campaign going on. I assume it's just another way to persuade people they need it.

Just discovered one of my high school buddies has her own Wikipedia page (!!). She's African American, local politician (Dems). She hasn't publicly posted about her vaccination (for instance), although you'd expect a politician to show off publicly.

@ZZTopGuitarSolo, when you posted "vaccinated being given more freedoms" -- is that legally enforced? What can vaccinated persons legally do that the unvaccinated persons legally cannot do?

I didn't know this about the NHS app so thank you.

Where I live, if you are fully vaccinated then you do not need to test or quarantine after contact with someone with Covid. You can continue to go to work or school.

The vaccine is also starting to be required if you want to act in plays, sing in choirs, work in summer camps - these are all things my teens are looking into doing this summer.

You'll also have to be vaccinated to return to many universities in person when they fully reopen in August.

Your articles confirm that we now have an over-supply of vaccines in the US. They are now easily available in all of the states you listed where your friends live.

Many states are now moving away from mass vaccination centers and instead bringing the vaccines to schools, grocery stores, local clinics, workplaces, doctor's offices etc.

We have drop-in vaccination happening today in a nearby housing low-income housing estate.