Digital COVID-19 Certificate Now Available 數位新冠病毒健康證明可下載 適用逾60國

Digital vaccination certificates are now available for download starting December 28 and are accepted by 60 countries, including EU nations and the US. Meanwhile, doctors say the global situation remains grim as numerous Karate athletes tested positive upon returning to Taiwan.

People were able to start downloading their "Digital COVID-19 Certificate" at 8 a.m. on Dec. 28. The Central Epidemic Command Center said the digital vaccination certificate is like the digital version of Taiwan's yellow card, and can be used in over 60 countries. However, those who received vaccines outside of Taiwan will need to provide additional documentation if traveling to other countries. Some doctors say this is an issue that needs to be resolved immediately.

Wang Jen-hsien, Chair, Taiwan Counter Contagious Diseases Society: “Under the law, you can't exclude these people. Verification is one thing, but what the law stipulates is another. If not, then all foreigners will be subject to extreme restrictions when attending domestic events, and those nationals traveling abroad will also be subject to extreme restrictions. This is very unfair.”

Hwang Kao-pin, Dep. Director, Infection Control Center, CMU Hospital: “Those who return from abroad could have faked their PCR test results or other reports. Their vaccine status might also not be registered clearly if they received vaccines overseas. In light of these circumstances, it's a necessary evil.”

Twelve members of a delegation that participated in the Asian Karate Championships in Kazakhstan and that recently returned to Taiwan have tested positive. Members of other country's delegations have also tested positive. Doctors say this means there were too many infected people locally, making it harder to prevent infection. In addition, no masks were worn while competing, facilitating droplet infection. Even if competitors were fully vaccinated, they could still get infected through a moment of inattentiveness.

Huang Li-min, Honorary Chair, Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan: “You can still get infected with the Omicron variant if you received two or three vaccine doses, but you'll have a milder case. ”

Countries are taking different approaches to disease prevention. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently shortened the recommended isolation period for asymptomatic cases from 10 days to five, followed by five days of wearing a mask around others. Local doctors say Taiwan and the US have different population densities, and the Wanhua teahouse outbreak shows that this "5+5" policy would be dangerous for Taiwan.

28日早上8點開始，民眾只要上網輸入個人資料，就能下載我國「數位新冠病毒健康證明」。指揮中心表示，疫苗數位證明就等於是數位版的小黃卡，適用超過60個國家，不過如果是在國外接種的疫苗，入境他國就得要自行另附證明，有醫師認為這是眼下必須克服的問題。

中華民國防疫學會理事長王任賢指出:「在法規上你必須不能先把這些人排除掉，查證是一回事，但是法規訂的是另一回事，否則的話，所有的外國人到國內的活動，就會受到很大的限制，國人出國也會受到很大的限制，這是非常不公平的事情。」

中國醫藥大學附設醫院感染管制中心副院長黃高彬則認為:「從國外回來的人，這種PCR的檢查這種報告都有可能是假的，那在這種情況之下，當然我們就會擔心就是說，他在國外施打的時候，可能他的註記就沒那麼明確，所以這個我想這個是必要之惡。」

台灣空手道代表隊參加完亞錦賽，從哈薩克返台，已經累計12人確診，隨後各國代表隊也陸續爆出確診潮。醫生認為這代表當地感染者太多，不容易做好感控，加上賽事沒有戴口罩，飛沫傳染的機會多，就算打滿兩劑疫苗，一不小心還是可能染疫。

台灣感染症醫學會名譽理事長黃立民分析:「疫苗不管你打兩劑或三劑，碰到Omicron你還是可能被感染，只是你可能會輕微一點，所以他們可能第一個運氣比較好，第二個他們感控措施做得比較到位，這些都是有可能的。」

不過疫情當前，各國政府處理方式不同，美國疾管中心CDC宣布，把無症狀確診者的隔離規定，從10天砍半為5天，結束隔離後再戴口罩5天，對此感染科醫師黃高彬認為美國和台灣人口稠密度不同，以萬華茶藝館衍生的感染事件來看，5+5對台灣來說非常危險。