Jab passport scheme may be extended
SCOTLAND’S vaccine passport scheme could be extended even though there is no evidence it is working.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney yesterday told MSPs that tougher action may be needed to cut case numbers and ‘Covid certification could potentially be extended to other sectors’.
But he also said there is no evidence to prove the scheme is working and admitted ‘concern’ about reports that 42,000 people have complained about inaccuracies on their vaccine certificate.
He made the comments as Holyrood’s Covid-19 committee agreed to support the regulations, with only two Tory MSPs voting against.
In the past seven days, there have been 20,963 positive tests confirmed, 15 per cent up on 18,215 the week before. Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government was considering imposing additional restrictions if the situation with the virus worsens.
He added: ‘If the case numbers and numbers in hospital get worse, then we have to look at whether the baseline measures are accurate.
‘If we find ourselves in the next few weeks with a rising prevalence of the virus and greater pressure on the National Health Service than we are already experiencing – and the NHS is under absolutely colossal pressure – we might have to take stronger measures, which might apply greater mandatory enforcement.’
Mr Swinney, the Covid Recovery Secretary, said the Government does not have any evidence to show if vaccine passports are reducing the spread of coronavirus and encouraging people to get vaccinated.
He said it is ‘impossible to segment’ data on coronavirus to determine whether it is working, but he believes it is ‘delivering a positive benefit to the suppression of the virus’.
Since the start of October, adults have had to prove they are double vaccinated to enter nightclubs and other late-night venues with music and dancing, or attend large events.
Legal enforcement came into effect from October 18.
Official figures show the proportion of 18 to 29-year-olds who have received both vaccinations rose from 64 per cent on October 1 to 68 per cent by November 1, with Mr Swinney describing this as a ‘sizeable increase in the level of vaccination’.
He added: ‘We have cases at a too high level so we are trying to take measures which are proportionate to our objectives of enabling as much of the economy and our society to recover from Covid-19 but also to suppress the virus.
‘Obviously there may well be impact on night-time industries as a consequence, but there could be an even greater impact of closure and that’s what we’re trying to avoid.’
Asked what the criteria are for the scheme to end, Mr Swinney said: ‘We have to consider on a three-weekly basis whether it remains proportionate and that’s an issue that we retain under active review.’
Mr Swinney also admitted ‘concern’ about reports by the BBC that 42,000 people have reported inaccuracies on their vaccine certificate.
Scottish Conservative Covid recovery spokesman Murdo Fraser said: ‘This is just the latest chapter in the SNP’s vaccine passport shambles.
‘The fact that John Swinney apparently doesn’t have access to data that journalists have easily obtained through Freedom of Information shows how incompetent and dysfunctional the SNP’s swollen bureaucracy has become.’
‘Incompetent and dysfunctional’