WHO opposes introduction of immune passports

The World Health Organization opposes the introduction of immune passports for people who have already received the COVID-19 vaccine after mass vaccination of the population, Report says, citing RIA Novosti.

Forcing air travelers to quarantine is "not recommended" as it is not an "effective public health measure," the EU's health agency said on Wednesday.

Dr. Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency office with WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, said at a briefing, Report informs.

New guidelines from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) stressed that "the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in travelers is estimated likely to be lower than the prevalence in the general population or among contacts of confirmed cases."

According to the guidelines, the prevalence of COVID-19 among travelers is believed to be at less than 1 percent.

"Available evidence does not support quarantine and testing of travelers as an effective public health measure which will substantially reduce overall transmission in the general population.

"In the current epidemiological situation, quarantine or systematic testing for SARS-CoV-2 air travelers is not recommended," it added.

The European office of the World Health Organisation (WHO) also said on Thursday that it does "not recommend testing as a means to prevent transmission across borders."

"What we do recommend is that countries look at the data on transmission both within their countries and beyond their borders and adjust travel guidance accordingly."