Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Paragraph: 24
It is imperative that if a Covid-status certification system is to be introduced, the Government...
Conclusion
It is imperative that if a Covid-status certification system is to be introduced, the Government publishes the criteria against which the efficacy of that system is to be assessed, together with a clear statement and explanation of whether or not the Government believes that the system being deployed satisfies those criteria.
Paragraph Reference:
24
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government recognises the need to ensure that the impact of any public health interventions are measured and assessed. In relation to certification, the COVID-Status Certification Review: Report publication set out that the Government believes that certification would have a public health benefit. This was partly based on discussions arising out of the 87th meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE 87), which described a hierarchy of risk reductions. These are: 1) isolate those that are infectious from the rest of the population; otherwise, 2) reduce the likelihood that they enter higher-risk settings or situations; otherwise, 3) attempt to decrease the transmission risk from an infectious person in any given environment. Certification would act at levels 1 and 2 of the above by leading more infectious individuals to isolate than would otherwise be the case and reducing the number of infectious individuals that enter settings that require certification. In a recent study, unvaccinated people were three times more likely than fully vaccinated people to test positive for COVID-19, with prevalence at 1.21% and 0.40%; double vaccinated people in the most recent round were estimated to have around 50 to 60% reduced risk of infection, including asymptomatic infection, compared to unvaccinated people; those who were fully vaccinated may be less likely to pass on the virus to others than those who have not received a vaccine. In addition, COVID-status certification has been trialled in all three phases of the Events Research Programme (ERP), led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with Phase I using testing protocols only (demonstration of a negative lateral flow result) and Phases II and III trialling the NHS COVID Pass in real-world settings. The findings from the ERP support the general deliverability of certification policy for events, with certification based on vaccination and natural immunity the most operationally viable, owing to the significant pressures on testing capacity and the cost of asymptomatic testing sites. Further, the ERP concluded that, where possible, certification should be introduced rather than more economically restrictive measures. The Government has said in its COVID-Status Certification Review: Report publication that it will continue to consider the use and the potential future application of certification, taking into account the findings of the certification review and the ERP. The Events Research Programme: Phase I findings report was published on Friday 25 June, findings from Phases II and III are currently being collated and analysed and will be published in due course. We will monitor the application of any certification scheme, to ensure that it is appropriate for the epidemiological situation.