What Is The Point of Vaccine Passports?

The government is under pressure to introduce vaccine passports.  Why?  What is the actual point of them?  What do they achieve?

The purpose of policy in relation to COVID, or any other such threat, is to protect the largest number of people, and that means not just from the threat itself, but from any of the consequences of measures taken in relation to it.  In the period prior to vaccinations, any sensible consideration of the problem should have indicated that lock downs, and lockouts were not such a solution.  In conditions where 80% of the population, i.e. those under 60, and who did not suffer from any underlying medical condition, were at no serious risk from COVID, it was ridiculous to impose lock downs and lockouts on them.

Firstly, such actions were unjustified in relation to these tens of millions of people, because not only were they not at any serious risk, but many of them contracted the virus, but did not even know they had done so, as, for the vast majority, it produced no or only very mild symptoms.  Locking down, and locking out these tens of millions of people was unjustified, and had widespread damaging effects on society as a whole, that placed many more people in jeopardy.  It led to a huge economic contraction whose effects on millions of people, and across the globe billions of people, will last for years; it led to thousands of people not seeking or being given urgent medical treatment for other fatal illnesses, such as cancer, from which they were at actual imminent danger; it led to thousands of people suffering serious mental illness; it led to an increase in domestic violence and abuse; it led to a generation losing out on 2 years of education (approximately a sixth of their total education) which they will never get back, and which will affect them and society's productivity for the rest of their lifetime.

Secondly, by locking down these millions of people who were at no serious risk from the virus, it slowed down the process of them acquiring herd immunity, which would, thereby, have prevented its further spread.  Trying to isolate everyone from it was a fool's errand that continually proved to be so, and simply meant the virus spread more slowly, flaring up each time restrictions were relaxed, as could have been, and was, predicted.  By simply keeping the virus in circulation for longer, as a result of preventing a more rapid development of herd immunity, it facilitated the mutation of the virus, leading now to the problems being experience with the Delta variant, which is again being used for continuing the same old, failed strategies.

Given that it was only 20% of the population at serious risk from the virus, the obvious means of achieving the aim of protecting the greatest number was to have focused all resources on isolating that 20%, and enabling them to achieve that in the most efficient manner.  Indeed, even amongst that 20% - amounting to about 13 million people - it was only a small minority who were probable to suffer serious consequences, let alone death.  The mortality rate for the virus is around 0.1%, but even at 1% amongst this at risk 20%, that would amount to only 130,000 deaths, assuming they were all infected.  Given that nearly all those that have died are people within that at risk group, the large majority of them being over 80, its clear that the strategy of lock down did not work.

That is because, whilst a lot of attention was paid to locking down the whole of society, very little attention was paid to the need to lock down and protect that 20%, and in particular, that section of it that should have been most in need, and yet most easy to protect, i.e. those already in hospitals or in care homes.  The role of the NHS has been criminally negligent in that regard.  Only the other day, I heard that one of my son's work colleagues had gone into hospital with some complaint, and had been infected with COVID whilst there.  That is fairly typical.  The data indicates that at least 25% of the people treated for COVID in hospitals, contracted it after they had gone into hospital!

As with the past cases of MRSA, C-Dif, not to mention the cases of baby deaths and mistreatment of elderly patients, this is an example of gross negligence.  It is what is to be expected from an undemocratic, Stainoid enterprise that is part of a huge medical-industrial complex, of which its top echelons are an integral part.  It should face huge and historic legal claims by all those that have suffered from its criminal negligence in relation to COVID, for its failure to carry out even the most basic common sense measures to carry out its duty of care to both patients and staff.  It shows again the need to build a democratic, worker-owned and controlled National Health Service, geared from the start to protect workers' health and wellbeing, by first focusing on prevention of illness, rather than expensive treatments designed to boost the profits of medical supply companies, and the empire building ambitions of bureaucrats.

Before vaccines, the strategy should have been to facilitate the isolation of the 20% of the population actually at risk.  Of course, if anyone in that 20% decided not to avail themselves of that, they were free to do so, but at their own risk.  And, the same applies now with the advent of vaccines.  Vaccines mean that not only anyone at serious risk from COVID, but nearly everyone else, can obtain a vaccination, and protect themselves from infection.  Only those at no risk from the virus, such as young children, are not being offered it.

So, everyone should then be free to go about their lives as normal.  Those who have taken the opportunity to be jabbed have no reason to limit their activity.  As for those who have not taken the opportunity to be jabbed they have various options.  They can get jabbed; they can feel that because they are young and healthy they have no real risk from the virus; or they can feel they might be at risk, and so decide to continue to isolate themselves.  None of those things give any reason for anyone to need a vaccine passport.