key: cord-0939360-0xg3lhlw authors: Mbunge, Elliot; Dzinamarira, Tafadzwa; Fashoto, Stephen G.; Batani, John title: Emerging technologies and COVID-19 Digital Vaccination Certificates and Passports date: 2021-05-07 journal: Public Health Pract (Oxf) DOI: 10.1016/j.puhip.2021.100136 sha: d6a26c81092ea3b9015f5d1c511282db9d942c17 doc_id: 939360 cord_uid: 0xg3lhlw nan Historically, immunization was successfully implemented to alleviate the upsurge of diseases 28 such as smallpox, yellow fever (which is mandatory for travellers to and from endemic 29 J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f countries) and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis for children [10] . However, these traditional 30 immunization card or certificates are vulnerable to forgery [11], corruption, alterations, difficult 31 to read by non-health experts, they can easily get lost, and also susceptible to weather conditions 32 such as rain [10] . The issuance of COVID-19 vaccination certificates raises some ethical concerns that need to be 84 fully understood and addressed. For instance, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics raised concerns 85 on the proposed introduction of immunity or vaccination passports in the UK citing that this 86 could enable coercive and stigmatising workplaces, thereby compounding current structural 87 disadvantages in that country. Additional concerns on whether privacy protections of people will 88 be guaranteed and that the health data will only be used for the intended purpose must also be 89 J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f addressed. In the context of limited-resource settings, COVID-19 vaccines are scarce and access 90 remains unequal within the countries. People with serious health conditions and allergies have 91 been advised not to take the vaccines. This means people facing vaccination access problems 92 will be unable to obtain vaccine passports and therefore deprived of their civil rights. While 93 vaccine passports are permissible under international health regulations, the implementation of 94 COVID-19 vaccine passports should be tailored to address these ethical concerns and digital 95 tools and apps used should offer means for enhanced security and privacy protection. 96 In conclusion, there is a need to homogenize digital solutions and standardization of regional and 97 international electronic platform to document and validate COVID-19 electronic vaccination 98 certificates [20] . The outbreak of pandemics in the future is imminent; therefore, it is imperative 99 to develop a framework and policies guiding the integration and synchronization of digital 100 solutions especially digital vaccination certificates in case of international public health 101 emergencies. However, such technological interventions should be guided by ethical guidelines. 102 m-health framework for improving 121 malaria information dissemination in Buhera rural district amid COVID-19 and beyond Teaching and Learning in the New Normal: 125 Opportunities and Challenges of Distance Learning Amid COVID-19 Pandemic COVID-19 conspiracy theories Covid-19: What new variants are emerging and how are they being 130 investigated? Covid-19 antibody 132 test / vaccination certification there's an app for that The use and significance of vaccination cards. Hum Vaccines Immunother Electronic vaccination certificates: avoiding a repeat of the contact-137 tracing 'format wars Applications of digital technology in 139 COVID-19 pandemic planning and response. Lancet Digit Heal 2020 Integrating emerging technologies into COVID-19 contact tracing: 142 Opportunities, challenges and pitfalls A critical review of 145 emerging technologies for tackling COVID-19 pandemic Immunized? There's an app for that China launches COVID-19 vaccination certificates for cross-border travel | Reuters n World Health Organization open call for nomination of experts to contribute to the Smart 153 Vaccination Certificate technical specifications and standards n 155 nomination-of-experts-to-contribute-to-the-smart-vaccination-certificate-technical-156 specifications-and-standards-application-deadline COVID-19 Digital Vaccination Certificates and Digital 159 Technologies: Lessons from Digital Contact Tracing Apps. SSRN Electron J 2021 COVID-19 immunity passports and vaccination certificates: scientific, 162 equitable, and legal challenges COVID-19: WHO races to develop vaccination card | Science| In-depth reporting on 165 science and technology | DW | 27.01.2021 n.d Authors declares no competing interests. 108