It has happened before and appears to be happening again! For most of the nineteenth century, immunity to yellow fever divided people in New Orleans between the acclimated (who survived yellow fever) and the unacclimated (who did not catch the disease). Lack of immunity dictated whom people could marry, where they could work, and, for those forced into slavery, how much they were worth. Presumed immunity concentrated political and economic power in the hands of the wealthy and healthy elite. Something similar could be our future if governments introduce immunity passports in efforts to reverse the economic catastrophe of the coronavirus pandemic.
What is it? An immunity passport is a credential given to someone who is assumed to be immune from covid-19, thereby protected against re-infection. It could be issued to people who have either recovered from the virus or tested for the presence of antibodies. If implemented successfully, this approach has the potential of eventually paving out a way to get people back into the workforce more quickly.
How could it work? To be able to get the credentials in a practical scenario, you could think of getting an immunity test done from a designated authority. Once the results come out to be positive, a verified credential is handed over to you. Imagine those credentials similar to claims made about you saying: “I am called Y, born X, and declared immune to covid-19 by Z. My antibody level is ABC.” You could then be asked to show this certificate to be able to engage in social, civic and economic activities.
Can we make it work? The biggest issue here is that we still don’t know if immunity for COVID-19 is anything to aspire for! In addition to the on-going concerns about inaccuracy of antibody testing itself, the following crucial questions are currently unanswered:
- How long is the immunity expected to last?
- Millions of tests would be needed for an issuance program at national level. How can testing on such a scale be done?
- Since the whole point of such passports is to control movement, would it not be seen as invasion to privacy?
- How can the authenticity of such certificates be ensured?
- Where and who should be the designated testing authorities?
An example of implementation: Irrespective of some open questions, the Government of Chile has become the first in world to issue such passports and are relying on its holders to help revive the economic activity. In order to kick start the process, authorities in Chile have planned immunity testing at a massive scale. While all residents can apply for the cards, immunity passports will be issued to only those with a very high probability of being noncontagious.
This content was originally published for my TechTuesday’s initiative on LinkedIn.
