German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Thursday that Germany will roll out a digital immunity certificate by the end of June. The digital vaccination certificate could be used in Germany’s official COVID-19 warning app or with the new “CovPass” app, Deutsche Welle reports.
The digital pass is to become available alongside Germany’s traditional yellow paper vaccination booklet, the minister stressed.
“The point is to get this paper into the device,” Spahn said during a news conference, showing reporters an analog vaccination certificate and a smartphone displaying its digital form. The new pass is expected to be significantly more convenient to use, and people will be easily able to prove their immunity status, according to the minister.
“For those whose job it is to check, like in restaurants or in retail, there’s an app that makes it possible to read and verify the relevant certificates,” Spahn stated.
The digital certificates will be issued to Germans when they receive their second COVID-19 jab. The CovPass certificates will be available retroactively, with people who have already been fully vaccinated able to get the digital pass at pharmacies across the country.
The new certificates are not meant to be a replacement for the paper vaccination booklets already in use. While these will remain the main document for immunity status, the digital pass is designed more for convenience and will be able to be used for future travel in Europe.
“By doing so, we in the European Union are setting a cross-border standard that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the world yet,” Spahn said, adding that the digital vaccination pass is an important step for the revival of international tourism.
People who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and those who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection, have recently become exempt from many restrictions in Germany, the paper reports.
On May 9, the German parliament passed a law dubbed “The Ordinance to Regulate the Easing of and Exceptions to Restrictions on Preventing the Spread of COVID-19,” which gives special privileges to people who have been vaccinated against or have recovered from COVID-19. The ordinance restores some rights regarding private gatherings, curfews, and sporting activities of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, have recovered from COVID-19, or can show a negative test result. However, people covered by this ordinance are still obligated to wear a mask, adhere to social-distancing rules, and follow hygiene and safety protocols.
The country’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, reported Thursday that 47 percent of the population, or about 39.1 million people, have gotten one shot. Almost 24 percent, or 19.9 million people, are fully vaccinated.
On Wednesday, almost 1.3 million people rushed to get innoculated, which is the second-highest daily number ever.
Also Thursday, Germany’s committee on vaccinations, known as Stiko, recommended that children aged 12 to 15 only receive the shot if they have certain illnesses such as obesity or chronic lung or heart diseases. Healthy teenagers can, however, also be vaccinated if they, their parents, and doctors decide to do so, even though the Stiko head warned that since vaccine studies on youth were limited, severe side effects of the vaccines “are not to be excluded.”
The unveiling of CovPass comes a day after the European Union (EU) Parliament approved the use of digital COVID-19 certificates within the bloc, with new rules set to come into effect on July 1 and last for 12 months.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen underlined that “All EU citizens have a fundamental right to free movement in the EU.” That “fundamental right,” however, only applies to those who have received the jab or can prove they’re healthy, as von der Leyen said in the following sentence: “The EU Digital COVID Certificate … will make it easier for Europeans to travel — whether to see their families and loved ones or to get some well-deserved rest.”
The EU-valid certificates may come in both paper and digital forms, but they must have a QR code so authorities can easily access a person’s data. The certificates are expected to include information on whether someone has been fully vaccinated with shots approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and whether they contracted the coronavirus previously or have tested negative for the disease.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, and Spain have already begun to issue digital COVID certificates and are also accepting them for EU visitors.
The European Commission is tracking updates as more countries begin issuing and accepting these certificates. All 27 EU countries will use this digital COVID certificate program by July 1, 2021.
