Digital vaccination certificate: those who have recovered have to be patient

The EU vaccination certificate is intended to simplify many things in everyday life and on vacation – but those who have recovered often try in vain: pharmacies cannot issue it, and neither can many doctors.

What other problems are there with the digital vaccination certificate?

There are still problems with issuing and recording the EU digital COVID certificate for those who have recovered. Despite the EU-wide start on July 1st, pharmacies are still not able to issue them a digital vaccination certificate. Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn had promised that this would be possible by the end of June, but there are still technical problems. “On the pharmacy side, adjustments to the web portal are still necessary here,” said the Federal Ministry of Health at the request of tagesschau.de. “The input mask still has to be changed” on the portal. The ministry could not say when the problems are likely to be resolved. As was the case a week ago, the answer was only “in brief”.

Where can recovered people get a vaccination certificate?

Those who have recovered can currently only receive a digital certificate in selected medical practices – and only if the medical practices “use the IBM web portal”. The prerequisite is that a PCR test has been carried out. If less than half a year has passed since recovery, a recovery certificate can be issued “based on a positive PCR test”, which is “valid for up to six months after this test”.

If the illness was a long time ago, a vaccination is necessary – but with only one vaccination dose. Two certificates are then noted in the digital vaccination pass: a recovered certificate and one from the vaccination. It is important that the vaccination is not stored as the first of two vaccinations, but is saved as “1 of 1 vaccination” in the certificate.

Where do vaccinated people get the digital vaccination certificate?

The certificate has been available for vaccinations in the vaccination center or in the doctor’s practice since mid-June. The QR code is usually printed out on paper and can then be read in with a smartphone.

Anyone who has been fully vaccinated in the past few months can subsequently receive the digital proof. Who is in Vaccination center got vaccinated, should have received the code by now. Who in a doctor’s office has been vaccinated, can contact them and ask for a digital certificate that has been generated at a later date. Many too Pharmacies offer this. To do this, the yellow paper vaccination booklet and identity card must be presented. The digital certificates are labeled “EU-COVID-19 vaccination certificate”.

Can I travel without a digital EU vaccination certificate?

Yes. The EU vaccination certificate is a supplement to the yellow paper vaccination booklet. It is intended to set an EU-wide uniform standard to facilitate evidence and controls in connection with Corona. However, using the app is not mandatory. It is also possible to have the vaccination booklet or evidence of a test or recovery with you.

In which countries is the vaccination certificate valid?

It applies nationwide and in all other EU countries. It is also accepted in six other countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican. However, there are still problems with the last three countries mentioned.

Do I still have to take my yellow vaccination booklet with me?

It is actually no longer necessary to carry the yellow paper vaccination booklet with you in the EU. However, this is still valid. The Federal Ministry of Health advises holidaymakers to take the vaccination booklet with them when traveling to the EU to be on the safe side if there are still problems with the digital certificate on site. Anyone planning a vacation outside of Europe is dependent on the yellow vaccination book issued by the World Health Organization.

What advantages do I have with the digital vaccination certificate?

The EU member states have assured that holders of the digital vaccination certificate will in principle waive the quarantine and test obligations upon entry. In which other places the certificates facilitate vacations, shopping trips or weekend trips, each country determines itself.

Are there any restrictions?

Depending on the infection situation, restrictions can also be reintroduced even for those who have been completely vaccinated. Therefore, travelers should always inform themselves briefly in advance about the corona situation in the respective country.

Most recently, due to the spread of particularly contagious corona variants, there were entry restrictions for Portugal as well as Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Russia, India and Nepal. However, these countries will be downgraded from virus variant area to high incidence area as of Wednesday. This means that entry into Germany is possible again for all groups of people. For those who have been completely vaccinated and those who have recovered, the quarantine obligation is no longer applicable; it is shortened for everyone else.

What exactly is the digital vaccination certificate?

The digital certificate is digital proof that you have either been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from Corona. It is a voluntary addition to the yellow paper vaccination book, which is still valid. Rapid or PCR tests can also be documented as a digital certificate. The proof is usually stored in an app on the smartphone via QR code. If you don’t have a mobile phone, you can print out the certificate and use it. A digital signature should make the code forgery-proof.

What data is stored in the digital certificate?

Name, date of birth and date of issue as well as information about the vaccine (or about the test or recovery) and an individual identifier are saved in the certificate. This data is only stored locally on the smartphone. To create the vaccination certificate, it is necessary that the data is collected once by the vaccination center and transmitted to the RKI for signature. This data is immediately deleted there.

Which vaccines are recognized?

Only vaccinations with vaccines approved in the EU are recognized. In practice, this raises the question of what about the entry of Hungarians or Slovaks who have been vaccinated with the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. At least in Germany, such persons are not regarded as fully vaccinated when entering the country and have to prove negative tests.

How is the digital vaccination certificate verified?

There is also the “CovPass Check” app. This enables restaurant operators, for example, to check with a quick scan whether the guests have complete vaccination protection or a valid quick test. You will only see the vaccination status and the name of the guest, which you have to compare with your identity card or another ID document.

Airlines and airport operators warn that there may be significant delays in passenger handling due to the verification of the vaccination certificate. There are “major operational risks due to the inconsistent approach taken by the member states,” declared the associations of European airlines and airport operators.

On which smartphones is the vaccination card available?

The digital vaccination certificate can either be saved and displayed locally in the specially developed CovPass app or in the Corona Warning app (from version 2.3) – both are issued by the Robert Koch Institute. It can also be stored in the Luca app.

The CovPass app can be used free of charge for iPhones in the Apple App Store for Android phones it is in the Google Play Store available and for Huawei smartphones in the Huawei AppGallery. The iOS 12 (or newer) operating system is required on Apple devices; at least the Android 6 operating system must be installed on Android devices.

If you don’t own a smartphone or don’t want to use it, you can also use the vaccination certificate as a printed QR code on paper.

Can I travel with a test instead of a vaccination?

Yes. The digital vaccination certificate is intended to facilitate the free movement of people within the EU. However, it is not a prerequisite for freedom of movement, which is a fundamental right in the EU. The digital certificate also serves as proof of test results, the submission of which is often required by the state.

What does the digital vaccination certificate cost?

The digital vaccination card is free. However, pharmacies and doctors receive up to 18 euros in remuneration for the subsequent creation of digital certificates from taxpayers’ money. According to the taxpayers’ association, this will cost around 50 million euros in total.