Post-coronavirus world: Countries set sight upon the 'immunity passport' option

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the world  is continuously  battling the disease meanwhile devising a post-coronavirus world order to put economies back on the track.

Among such measures is the idea of an immunity passport, a form of a document given to those who have recovered from the coronavirus disease.

According to a World Economic Forum report, Chile is mulling over the scheme to become the first country to put it into action.

Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich said that these ‘release’ certificates would free holders from all kinds of restrictions or quarantine measures.

The idea has been met with skepticism, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) opposing the measure strongest.

Chile has voiced that these certificates will expire three months after a person has recovered from the COVID-19.

The World Health Organisation has also raised objection over the degree of immunity a recovered person has, along with the time duration one remains immune to the virus.

Another criticism stems from the argument that the document will ultimately cause more people to get affected from the virus due to the presence of 'false positives' and 'false negatives'.

“False positives could lead people to think that they are safe from future infection, despite never having had the disease. False negatives would also mean infected people might fail to self-isolate. Advice from the WHO is that immunity certificates may in fact risk continued transmission of the virus, and lead to people ignoring public health advice,” said the report.