Our documents: what will change the appearance of COVID-passports

The introduction of COVID passports will allow Russians to avoid collecting a large number of certificates and will calm society, Izvestia was told in the State Duma… However, virologists emphasize: restrictions for the unvaccinated from coronavirus are unacceptable… And a number of experts believe that separate documents are not neededbecause all the information is already in the common system and in the certificates. December 29th the appearance of the vaccinated passport since January 2021 was announced by the head of the Ministry of Health Mikhail Murashko – he announced such plans at the last meeting of the coordination council under the government of the Russian Federation to combat coronavirus this year. During the meeting, the prime minister Mikhail Mishustin thanked his colleagues for the fact that they managed to keep the situation and avoid systemic failures, and also warned about the increased load on the healthcare system during the New Year holidays…

Passport with protection

A Russian who has been vaccinated against coronavirus will be able to obtain a special document confirming this on the website of state services, Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko said at a meeting of the coordination council under the government of the Russian Federation for the fight against coronavirus.

– There is a full resource for entering data on patients who received the vaccine. We plan that in January, in a personal account on the website of state services, it will be possible to automatically obtain a passport of the vaccinated, – said the head of the Ministry of Health…

The introduction of special documents will allow not only to calm down the population, but also to avoid unnecessary paperwork, said Alexander Petrov, a member of the Duma Committee on Health Protection, in a conversation with Izvestia.

– The person becomes psychologically calmer. The presentation of such a passport will allow for a certain period of time to release its collection from numerous certificates that must be periodically shown… Now many have to take tests once a week, although they have been ill, because there is no other way yet. The passport will be registered in the register, it will be taken into account, it can be checked, the deputy believes.

However, he noted that it is still necessary to be tested, even if a person is vaccinated – it still cannot be ruled out that a new large dose of coronavirus will “break through the defense.”

The topic of the introduction of COVID passports was actively discussed even before the official announcement by the head of the Ministry of Health. For example, the director of the National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after V.I. N.F. Gamalei Alexander Gintsburg called for the introduction of such documents together with the start of vaccination… However, not everyone agrees with this position. For example, the speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko opposed COVID passports, calling them an idea from dystopias… In her opinion, it is “unacceptable” to divide citizens into categories with different rights.

Sharp There is no need for separate passports with information about vaccination against COVID-19, since the fact of vaccination in our country is recorded in a medical institution, and a certificate is issued about when and what drug was delivered, Tatyana, deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy, told Izvestia Kusaiko…

– In any medical institution, an internal record of vaccinations is kept and, at the request of a citizen, they all fit into a certificate reflecting the vaccination history of a person who remains in his hands. All vaccinations, including those against COVID-19, are recorded in the medical facility and in the certificate. Therefore, I do not see the need to make separate documents on the new coronavirus infection, the senator said.

Prohibition of restrictions

The presence or absence of vaccination against coronavirus should not limit citizens’ rights, says Alexey Agranovsky, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor of the Department of Virology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University.… He suggests focusing on privileges for those who have been vaccinated.

– Everyone who urgently needs it, and especially those who have been ill, should be able to travel. Immunity, according to our data, is effective in all strains. However, there are restrictions from other countries. For those who have already been vaccinated, benefits or benefits, such as discounts on transportation, can be provided. You can think of a lot of privileges to interest the population. This is quite realizable. The main thing is that there is political will, ”the specialist told Izvestia.

Also during the meeting of the coordination council, the Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin recalled that during the holidays “the number of visits to doctors, as a rule, grows.” Mikhail Murashko noted the positive dynamics before the New Year holidays… He said that today 80% of the sick population (900 thousand people) are on outpatient treatment, which is slightly lower than the figures recorded a few days ago.

– Positive dynamics in the number of cases is noted in general in such regions as the Pskov region, the Republic of Kalmykia, the Nenets Autonomous District, the Kirov region, the Tambov region. In these regions, anti-epidemic measures have a positive effect, and the quality of patient treatment is also improving, the minister said.

In some regions, the situation is more complicated, therefore, specialists from the federal center are sent to a number of subjects, Mikhail Murashko emphasized… “Today our specialists work in Karelia, Kamchatka, in the Amur region, Vladimir and Kurgan regions, Tula regions, as well as in St. Petersburg and Crimea. In total, since the beginning of the pandemic, we have sent more than 100 such teams, ”the head of the Ministry of Health concluded.

Rospotrebnadzor assesses the epidemiological situation in Russia as stabilizing… In 77 subjects, this phase has been going on for more than five weeks. This is a good prognostic sign, said the head of the department Anna Popova.

Wherein the service identified violations in 88 out of 435 tested laboratories in Russiawhere tests for COVID-19 are carried out. Anna Popova added that the work of two laboratories – in Komi and the Amur region – was suspended because they grossly violated the regime and rules of biological safety.

PThe Prime Minister said during the meeting that the government has prepared a program of state guarantees for free medical care for the next year… As before, Russians will continue to receive such assistance under the compulsory medical insurance policy, including high-tech and specialized ones. The program will take into account the peculiarities of the health care system in the context of the spread of coronavirus infection… This is necessary so that even with the increased workload that now falls on hospitals and clinics, patients are provided with the necessary treatment.