BackWHO panel advises against Covid vaccination proof for international travel
The independent experts said that vaccinations should not be the only condition to permit international travel, given limited global access and inequitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines
PremiumThe World Health Organization's Emergency Committee has maintained its stance that proof of vaccination against coronavirus should not be required for international travel, amid a growing debate into blocking the entry of travelers if they are unvaccinated.
The independent experts said that vaccinations should not be the only condition to permit international travel, given limited global access and inequitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.
WHO's emergency committee has also warned that new concerning variants of Covid-19 were expected to spread around the world, making it even harder to halt the pandemic.
"The pandemic is nowhere near finished," the committee said in a statement, highlighting "the strong likelihood for the emergence and global spread of new and possibly more dangerous variants of concern that may be even more challenging to control".
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also asked China to co-operate better in the probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, the first cases of which were seen in Wuhan in December 2019,
"We hope there will be better co-operation to get to the bottom of what happened," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a regular press briefing in Geneva, calling in particular for access to raw data which so far has been inadequate.
Tedros said investigations into the origins of the pandemic in China were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of its spread there.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
