Many Europeans have now obtained their Digital Covid Certificate, either to travel or simply to have it available after completing their coronavirus vaccination. As an EU measure, this applies mostly to European Union citizens and residents, most of whom are vaccinated in their home countries. But, as a measure that responds to the reality of Europeans who move around the continent - what about, for example, people who are now in Catalonia but were vaccinated elsewhere?
Now, people who have been vaccinated abroad will be able to obtain the EU Digital Covid Certificate. Until now, as this information was not recorded in a structured way in the shared electronic history, the information system used did not allow a European vaccination certificate to be generated.
The Catalan health service states that work has been underway for some time to fix this blind spot in the system, enabling more-mobile Europeans to obtain the Covid vaccination certificate. This change will also improve records of vaccination coverage in the population, as until now the data could not be included in the general population data on vaccination.
The Digital Covid Certificate is an official document and, therefore, in order to apply for it, the person must provide an official certificate issued by the competent authority where they received the vaccine - whether it was just one dose or two - with all the information required for registration.
In Catalonia, the certificate can be obtained on line at the La Meva Salut site.
Which vaccines are valid?
It should be noted that the certificate will only be generated for vaccines authorized by the World Health Organization: Comirnaty (Pfizer / BioNtech), Spikevax (Modern), Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), Covishield, Janssen, Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech.
How does the Digital Covid Certificate work?
The EU's Digital Covid Certificate has been in force since 1st July, as a digital tool that aims to protect and guarantee freedom of movement for all European citizens, so that people can travel even though the pandemic continues. The certificate is not mandatory for travel between member countries, but intended as a tool to facilitate free movement, allowing people who have it to enter freely without being subject to restrictions such as quarantine or Covid tests upon arrival. However, some countries, like France, are also requiring it for specific purposes, eg, to be able to enter bars and restaurants.
Note, though, that not everyone is able to obtain the certificate. In order to access or dispose of it, you must meet one of these three conditions:
- Been vaccinated against Covid-19
- Received a negative result in a recent Covid test
- Have recovered from Covid-19
The certificate can be read in the national language/s of the issuing country and in English, and has a QR code which enables the holder's Covid information to be accessed in any EU country.
Main image: EU covid digital certificate / Unsplash