‘Vaccine passports’ will help you travel abroad this year. But they won’t be without their challenges

‘Vaccine passports’ will help you travel abroad this year. But they won’t be without their challenges

As vaccination rollouts gather pace around the world, attention is now turning to vaccines of another kind: vaccine passports.Last week, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the launch of its new digital travel pass as "the way forward" in resuming quarantine-free international travel.The app, which is so far being trialed by 30 carriers, will allow governments and airlines to collect, access and share encrypted information related to passengers' Covid-19 test and vaccination status prior to travel.Both the International Chamber of Commerce and the World Economic Forum have created similar apps “” ICC AOKpass and CommonPass, respectively “” to allow travelers to document their medical status electronically. Countries such as Denmark and Sweden, are launching their own health passports, and even tech giants are looking to get in on the act.What are digital health passports and will they facilitate a return to the skies this year?

What is a vaccine passport?

Such documentation is not unprecedented. For decades, people have had to show physical "yellow cards" as proof of vaccination against diseases like cholera, yellow fever and rubella when traveling to certain countries.However, this marks the first time that the industry has rallied behind an electronic alternative designed to improve verifiability and