The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) says a new temporary tool is needed in the fight against COVID-19: Vaccine passports.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) has launched a new #FullyVaccinated social media campaign to encourage everyone to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and is calling for mandatory vaccination for health-care workers in contact with patients.

Vaccine passports may become unavoidable as we gradually move out of the pandemic. RNAO supports the use of one if it is designed in the proper way, given the serious concerns about equity, safety and privacy. We started the conversation before and now continue with an article published March 23 by Laurin Weissinger, a lecturer in cybersecurity at Tufts University.

As the vaccination rollout advances, the discussion on vaccine passports intensifies. This is a complex issue with no easy answers, and RNAO intends to address it in the months to come from a perspective of equity and health for all. The following is an introductory article by Yara M. Asi, Post-Doctoral Scholar, Health Management and Informatics, University of Central Florida, originally published March 12.