Arthur Greene
The African Union has launched a Covid-19 vaccine e-passport to open up travel for people within the continent and beyond.
The digital scheme was unveiled by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at an Africa Integration Day event on Friday. Head of the World Health Organization Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus was in Kenya last week helping to launch the scheme.
The virtual passport will exist as a scannable QR code on the user’s phone to prove that they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The passport will also display its user’s most recent Covid test result.
The scheme aims to make it easier for people to travel to other countries, both within Africa and beyond.
So far 21 member states of the African Union have signed up for the scheme, and their citizens can already apply for a digital passport. Selected countries outside Africa, including India, Australia, Singapore and the UK, are also participating in the scheme.
Head of the Africa CDC Ahmed Ogwell says the vaccine e-passport will soon be expanded to include other certificates for other diseases such as yellow fever.
To register for an account, visit www.africacdc.org/trusted-vaccines.
