Some Nphet members argued to keep Covid vaccine passes to 'reassure' vulnerable populations

Nphet members Tony Holohan, Ronan Glynn, and Philip Nolan leaving Government Buildings after a meeting in 2020. File picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

Some Nphet members argued for the retention of Covid vaccination certs as a means to reassure vulnerable members of the public when restrictions ended, newly-published minutes show.

Minutes of the January 20 Nphet meeting, at which it was decided to end most public health restrictions, show that there were some different views on the removal of the passes.

The document says that some members were in favour of maintaining the pass because it "has likely provided reassurance to vulnerable populations in engaging in social activities", "it provides a reminder to people, particularly those who are unvaccinated, that they need to remain cautious about exposing themselves to higher risk environments" and that while not the intended purpose of the pass, it could "potentially assist in increasing booster uptake and general communications in relation to the importance of vaccination".

However, Nphet agreed that the requirement should be removed due to the "diminishing utility [of the pass] as a protective measure" in light of the fact that vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection wanes over time and is significantly reduced against Omicron as compared to Delta.

Nphet said that while the effectiveness of the pass "could be improved by requiring a booster vaccination", this would not be a "proportionate measure" and "may limit a significant portion of the population from accessing services".

More generally, there are likely to be practical difficulties with continuing with the pass arrangement as it would have to continuously recognise evolving vaccine policy and evidence on the impact of vaccines and infection on immunity. 

The meeting also noted that evidence on the Covid pass as a behavioural incentive for vaccine uptake was "mixed".

"Those who have not accepted vaccination to date are unlikely to be persuaded to do so by a continued requirement for the Covid pass," the minutes read.

However, members "noted with concern" that a unified outbreak management IT system has not been put in place yet in the HSE or Department of Health.

"It was also acknowledged that a cohesive and informative early warning system would play an important role in future outbreak management and that creative solutions are needed in this regard."

Members also raised that the pandemic has "shone a light on how inequalities in our society make us vulnerable as a whole".

"Increasing our resilience to future health threats will require that these inequalities be addressed," it says.