The United States might begin issuing COVID-19 vaccination passports, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases.
In an interview with Newsweek, Fauci said it is “quite possible” Americans will have to prove they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19 before traveling to other countries. Likewise, the U.S. may require all foreign arrivals to provide proof of vaccination.
According to Fauci, each country determines its own vaccination mandates for foreign visitors, noting that Liberia required him to get a yellow fever vaccination when he flew there during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. The U.S. doesn’t require visitors to get inoculated against yellow fever.
To manage coronavirus-related travel restrictions, Fauci said the U.S. may issue COVID-19 passports to Americans who have been vaccinated. The passport would provide proof of vaccination and may allow holders to avoid COVID-19 testing and quarantine requirements when they travel abroad.
Fauci, who has been named President-elect Biden’s top medical adviser, said the incoming Biden administration will consider all options, including COVID-19 passports, when it replaces the Trump administration on Jan. 20.
He also said that, while the federal government is unlikely to make coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for U.S. residents, many schools, hospitals and transportation providers are “sure” to require vaccinations.
The immunologist used the influenza and Hepatitis B vaccination requirements at the National Institutes of Health, where he has worked since 1968, as an example of the way institutions may handle COVID-19 vaccinations.
“I have to get certified [as being vaccinated] every year” in order to see patients, he explained.
The Federal Food and Drug Administration has approved two COVID-19 vaccines for use in the U.S. As of early January, approximately 3.5 million doses of the vaccines have been administered.
Since COVID-19 was first reported in China in late 2019, over 82.9 million people worldwide have been infected and 1.8 million people have died.