UK may require vaccine passports for big venues

The UK is considering a requirement for vaccine passports to be shown in order to access large venues as early as this month, but has yet to decide whether to roll out jabs to healthy schoolchildren. “We are looking at, by the end of September when everyone has had a chance to be fully vaccinated, for the large venues where we need to use the certification process,” vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said.

The government hasn’t yet decided on whether to roll out vaccines to healthy 12- to 15-year-olds, but if the move does go ahead, then parental consent would be needed, he said. On Friday, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said that the benefits of vaccination for healthy children in this age group was “marginally greater” than the potential known harms.