Currently, many countries are already implementing vaccination passes. "Vaccination passes" mean issuing immunization certificates to the vaccinated, people who recovered after COVID-19, and people who tested negative for gene amplification (PCR).

 

In Israel, vaccine passes are essential when entering public places or participating in events. Italy has mandated all workers to have vaccine passes since October 15, and Germany, France, and Denmark are also partially applying them.

 

Now, the goal of collective immunity has become practically impossible. So, Korea is considering introducing a COVID-19 vaccine pass by shifting to the aim of a step-by-step daily recovery.

 

The biggest reason for introducing the COVID-19 vaccine pass system is to increase the vaccination rate. Those who have completed the vaccination get benefits. However, those who have not gotten vaccinated get disadvantages like restrictions on access to multi-use facilities. For unvaccinated people to use multi-use facilities, there must be a confirmation that they are "negative" after PCR testing.

 

Many people are in favor of the COVID-19 vaccine pass and its introduction in Korea. They are in favor of phased recovery and improvement of vaccination rates. First, by introducing a vaccine pass system, more people will be vaccinated for benefits after vaccination. As the vaccination rate rises, society will be relatively safe from COVID-19. That is because those who are vaccinated have significantly lower levels of virus emissions than those who are not vaccinated.

 

Second, due to the vaccine pass, the step-by-step daily recovery, that is, the "Living With Corona" quarantine rules, which will take effect in November, will be safely implemented. The livelihoods of many commercial districts, including self-employed people, are threatened in the aftermath of COVID-19. Now, phased daily recovery is essential for the sluggish national economy. Vaccine passes are very useful because they can alleviate the economic downturn that threatens the daily lives of the people.

 

L.L.F reporter Yu-Jin Kim

 

While opinions that ‘vaccine pass’ should be introduced have been greatly supported, there are many voices in opposition to the vaccine pass, calling them an "infringement of individual freedom." On September 29, a post saying, "I oppose the vaccine pass" was posted on the Korean presidential residence Petition website, raising voices of opposition. The writer posted that it is discrimination against those who have not been vaccinated due to personal diseases such as allergies and concerns about side effects of the vaccine. As the petition spread significantly online, attention was drawn to the opponents' positions.

 

Opponents argue that it is unfair to be discriminated against for avoiding risks in the current situation where side effects of vaccination occur in succession. If you have been examined by a doctor and told that the side effects of the vaccine are expected, no one will readily get the vaccine. They refute the idea that vaccination pass can be an effective incentive because there are people who have difficulty getting vaccinated at all for health reasons. In other words, they criticize that introducing a “vaccine mandate” through a vaccine pass violates the basic rights of the people to freedom.

 

In addition, the main logic is that those who have completed the vaccination are also at risk of spreading the virus and that there may be errors depending on the time of PCR testing. Actually, the Washington Post of the United States urgently obtained and reported an internal document of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it stated that delta variant infections have strong transmission power regardless of whether people are vaccinated or not.

 

The negative test of the gene amplification PCR test is also completely unreliable. There is a clear limitation in that the virus may be released late and people can be confirmed to have been infected with it a few days later. According to a professor of infectious medicine at a university hospital, "If a COVID-19 confirmed patients have been tested before the virus release period, it may be negative, so it is likely that the PCR negative confirmation submitted when entering a multi-use facility is meaningless."

 

The government is considering introducing the vaccine pass, but which policy will be implemented as its specific concepts have not yet been established. From what has been discussed so far, there is a growing argument that the vaccine pass should be introduced but limited to facilities at high risk of infection such as entertainment facilities. The last point to consider is at what speed and how far the vaccine pass holders will be given freedom of various quarantine rules, and it will be necessary to find an agreement through continuous discussions on the issue.

 

L.L.F reporter Hyeon-Bin Song

김유진, 송현빈  ujin139@hanmail.net, ban05180@naver.com