tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/vaccination-record-109376/articlesVaccination record – The Conversation2021-12-14T19:44:44Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1725542021-12-14T19:44:44Z2021-12-14T19:44:44ZAfter a year of COVID-19 vaccine mandate outrage, is there more ahead?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436700/original/file-20211209-13-1yqfrww.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4861%2C2503&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A young girl receives a COVID-19 vaccine during the second day of vaccination for children aged five to 11 years old in Montréal in November 2021. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson </span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/after-a-year-of-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-outrage--is-there-more-ahead" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>COVID-19 vaccine mandates, whether from governments, employers, schools or the restaurant around the corner, <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/do-vaccine-mandates-violate-canadians-charter-rights-1.5569971">are controversial</a>.</p>
<p>Requiring a vaccine to enter a workplace, board a plane or eat at a restaurant is, for some Canadians, a fundamental violation of their individual liberty and autonomy, especially over their bodies. For others, vaccines raise concerns about potential side effects. The <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8124103/canada-election-mandatory-vaccines-covid-poll/">majority of Canadians</a>, however, appear to support mandatory vaccinations.</p>
<p>When 2021 began, there was little talk of vaccine mandates. Vaccine mandates <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-vaccine-mandate-passport-covid-19-fourth-wave-1.6140838">began gaining steam over the summer</a> and became widespread in a matter of months. </p>
<p>In Ottawa, Conservative MPs began the first day of the new Parliament in November questioning the <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/rota-re-elected-speaker-as-new-parliament-kicks-off-with-friction-over-vaccine-mandate-1.5675789">House of Commons’ vaccine mandate</a>, which required those working on Parliament Hill to be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption along with a negative test result. </p>
<p>The extraordinarily rapid introduction of COVID-19 vaccine mandates meant that the usual legislative debates and consultations with stakeholders were absent. Rather, the prime minister and cabinet ministers revealed vaccine rules and regulations at news briefings. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-government-mandatory-vaccinations-1.6140131">A vaccine mandate for federal employees was announced</a> two days before the 2021 federal election was called, making it a wedge issue in the campaign. </p>
<p>Vaccine mandates have become <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/12/politics/republicans-covid-vaccine-mandates/index.html">highly politicized, especially in the United States</a>, but also in Canada. It’s not always due to opposition to the substance of the policy, but rather from a perceived lack of legitimacy in the creation of these mandates.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-voted-for-the-peoples-party-of-canada-anti-vaxxers-and-those-opposed-to-vaccine-mandates-171575">Who voted for the People’s Party of Canada? Anti-vaxxers and those opposed to vaccine mandates</a>
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<p>The current vaccine mandates contrast sharply with previous public health campaigns. <a href="https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all">Efforts to vaccinate against childhood diseases such as mumps, measles and rubella</a> took years — rather than months — to become effective. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2006.097006">Campaigns to eradicate cigarette smoking from public spaces took decades</a> to fully come into effect.</p>
<h2>Vaccine mandates not uniform</h2>
<p>COVID-19 vaccine mandates are not uniform across the country, as the provinces are primarily responsible for making them. Local health units, municipalities, employers and school boards can also implement their own vaccination rules. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/vaccination-mandates-employees-rights-1.6142584">In the private sector, some employers have vaccine requirements for workers</a>, but others have none at all. </p>
<p>Mandates of any kind are most effective and have the highest take-up when they remain stable and immutable. For instance, we all know we’ll have to pay income tax next year, and we know that won’t change.</p>
<p>Unions have a range of <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2021/09/30/unions-against-vaccine-mandates-fail-members-and-society/">views on mandatory vaccine policies</a> and it remains unclear whether being unvaccinated is, in and of itself, sufficient grounds for being fired. Whether the courts will find all pandemic-related layoffs and terminations to be legal is still far from certain. </p>
<h2>Some questions still need answers</h2>
<p>One likely flashpoint in 2022 will be exemptions from vaccine mandates. To date, these have received little attention, but it has become increasingly clear that some Canadians have sought and obtained exemptions for reasons other than pre-existing medical conditions. </p>
<p>The federal Conservative Party, in particular, is finding it difficult to explain why four of its 119 MPs have <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/otoole-mum-on-mps-vaccination-status-1.6276360">claimed exemptions or refused to disclose their immunization status</a>. </p>
<p>The second flashpoint in the new year will be vaccine mandates for children, especially since they are less likely than adults to suffer severe effects from COVID-19. Many surveys suggest parents are more likely to get vaccinated themselves than to <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8308001/covid-vaccine-for-children-parent-concerns/">allow their children to be immunized</a>. </p>
<p>Vaccination for children ages five to 11 has only recently begun across Canada with larger urban areas showing the most take-up. However, even within the same city, there are <a href="https://thelocal.to/kids-vaccines-arent-reaching-the-toronto-neighbourhoods-that-need-them-most/">dramatic disparities in vaccination rates from one neighbourhood to the next</a>. In Toronto, one-third of the five-to-11 cohort has received a dose in wealthy neighbourhoods, while in poorer areas it’s one in 10.</p>
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<img alt="A boy with pink hair and wearing a mask looks away from a health-care worker as she vaccinates him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436701/original/file-20211209-142574-1hx38fn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436701/original/file-20211209-142574-1hx38fn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436701/original/file-20211209-142574-1hx38fn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436701/original/file-20211209-142574-1hx38fn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436701/original/file-20211209-142574-1hx38fn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436701/original/file-20211209-142574-1hx38fn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436701/original/file-20211209-142574-1hx38fn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Children get vaccinated for COVID-19 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in November 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Russell</span></span>
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<p>It’s likely that COVID-19 vaccines for children <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pfizer-vaccine-data-kids-age-5-year-end-ceo-says-rcna7602">under the age of five will be available in 2022</a>. This may result in daycares, community centres and kindergartens becoming battle zones between parents who have vaccinated their children and believe others should — and parents who oppose vaccination. </p>
<p>As third doses, or <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/boosters-recommended-for-those-over-50-younger-people-may-also-get-3rd-shot-naci-1.5692114">booster shots, become increasingly recommended by public health officials</a>, a further flashpoint might arise between those who have two doses and those who have three. It may be the case that some employers and establishments will begin to require proof of a booster, while others may not. Only time will tell.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-normal-for-covid-19-vaccine-immunity-to-wane-and-how-booster-shots-can-help-171786">Why it's normal for COVID-19 vaccine immunity to wane, and how booster shots can help</a>
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<p>Canada will begin 2022 with millions of its residents not vaccinated for a variety of deeply held beliefs, and unlikely to change their views. At the same time, the vast majority of the population will be fully vaccinated, with many in this group holding strong views on a need for widespread vaccination. </p>
<p>In the midst of it all, one thing is clear: the new year will see a stream of political debates, court cases and media stories centred on vaccine mandates and their enforcement. Politicians will be spending a good part of the new year in a continued struggle to balance individual freedom and public well-being.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172554/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Klassen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Conversations and debates about vaccine mandates will continue well into next year as policy-makers balance individual freedom and public well-being.Thomas Klassen, Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1692512021-10-05T18:07:34Z2021-10-05T18:07:34ZThe COVID-zero strategy may be past its use-by date, but New Zealand still has a vaccination advantage<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424631/original/file-20211005-17-13eig1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4427%2C2935&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">GettyImages</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The announcement today that New Zealand will <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/452941/pm-announces-covid-19-vaccine-certificate">introduce a vaccination certificate</a> by November is welcome news. Whether by “carrot” or “stick”, vaccination rates must keep climbing, as it is now likely <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-current-cases#current-situation">case numbers</a> will climb under alert level 3 conditions in Auckland. </p>
<p>We’ve seen a growing number of mystery cases over the past couple of weeks – people testing positive after going to hospital for <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/exposure-event-auckland-city-hospital">non-COVID reasons</a>, or from essential worker <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/auckland-based-truck-driver-tests-positive-covid-19">surveillance testing</a>. </p>
<p>These cases suggest there is a significant amount of undetected community transmission, and that makes it much harder to stamp out.</p>
<p>While the slight <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/452885/auckland-to-remain-in-alert-level-3-some-restrictions-ease">easing of restrictions</a> announced yesterday may or may not accelerate the growth in cases, it is unlikely to slow it. This has led to some debate about whether the government has <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/explained/300422753/why-new-zealands-covid19-elimination-strategy-is-over">abandoned its elimination strategy</a> in favour of suppression of cases.</p>
<p>To some extent this is a semantic argument. Elimination has been defined as “zero tolerance” for community transmission, as opposed to zero cases. The fact that New Zealand was able to get to zero cases for much of the past 18 months has inevitably come to define what elimination has meant in practice.</p>
<p>Before vaccines were widely available, having zero cases was crucial in allowing us to enjoy level 1 freedoms. But New Zealand is now transitioning into a new phase of the pandemic, and this was always going to happen. Borders can’t remain closed forever and the virus was always going to arrive sooner or later. </p>
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<h2>Return to tougher restrictions still a possibility</h2>
<p>In an ideal world, our border defences would have kept Delta out and New Zealand would have been able to stay at alert level 1 until the vaccine rollout was complete. But the Delta outbreak has forced our hand to some extent.</p>
<p>Whether another week or two at level 4 would have been enough to eliminate this outbreak is impossible to know. Given the outbreak is spreading in very <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-delta-outbreak-how-the-government-response-can-help-marginalised-communities/2DOJMW4NKZOAPREB2QOE4K4RZM/">difficult-to-reach communities</a>, stamping out every chain of transmission is extremely challenging.</p>
<p>As we shift from an elimination to a suppression strategy, the country will have to tread a very narrow path to avoid overwhelming our hospitals and throwing our at-risk populations under the bus. </p>
<p>This includes Māori and Pasifika, who were effectively put at the <a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/09-07-2021/what-new-zealands-huge-gap-in-covid-outcomes-tells-us-about-systemic-racism/">back of the vaccine queue</a> by dint of their younger populations, despite being at <a href="https://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal-articles/maori-and-pacific-people-in-new-zealand-have-a-higher-risk-of-hospitalisation-for-covid-19-open-access">higher risk of severe COVID-19</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nz-needs-a-more-urgent-vaccination-plan-with-nearly-80-now-single-dosed-the-majority-will-support-it-168926">NZ needs a more urgent vaccination plan — with nearly 80% now single-dosed, the majority will support it</a>
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<p>We are now relying on a combination of restrictions and immunity through vaccination to prevent cases growing too rapidly. As vaccination rates increase, restrictions can be progressively eased. </p>
<p>But if we relax too much, there is a risk the number of hospitalisations could start to spiral out of control. When the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52473523">R number</a> is above 1, cases will continue to grow relentlessly until either more immunity or tougher restrictions bring it back under 1. </p>
<p>Getting vaccination rates up is crucial but will take time, so the government may yet be forced to tighten restrictions to protect our healthcare systems.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-zealand-cannot-abandon-its-covid-elimination-strategy-while-maori-and-pasifika-vaccination-rates-are-too-low-168278">New Zealand cannot abandon its COVID elimination strategy while Māori and Pasifika vaccination rates are too low</a>
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<h2>The vaccination advantage</h2>
<p>New Zealand was always going to have to grapple with these really tough decisions, though Delta has forced us to do this earlier than we would have liked.</p>
<p>But our elimination strategy has given us has an important advantage – <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-vaccine-data#total-vaccinations">almost 70% of the total population</a> has had at least one dose of the vaccine before experiencing any large-scale community transmission. </p>
<p>We still have a lot of work ahead, but having access to the vaccine before being exposed to the virus is a luxury people in most countries didn’t have. </p>
<p>There is a lot that could happen between now and Christmas. Currently, the Australian state of Victoria has <a href="https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/victorian-coronavirus-covid-19-data">over 100 people in intensive care</a>, which is equivalent to almost a third of <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-delta-outbreak-have-we-boosted-hospital-icu-capacity-enough/BYKEKZQYWNBFKWQ5ZEE5Q5PWNE/">New Zealand’s total ICU capacity</a>. Those ICU beds are normally full with patients with conditions other than COVID-19. </p>
<p>The implications for the healthcare system are obvious. If New Zealand goes the way of Melbourne, harsher restrictions will probably be inevitable.</p>
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<h2>Not a white flag</h2>
<p>The more optimistic scenario is that a combination of restrictions, vaccination and contact tracing is just enough to keep a lid on the case numbers. It’s almost inevitable cases will increase. But if it isn’t too rapid and hospitals can meet the demand, it could tide us over until we have the high vaccine coverage we need.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-zealand-government-takes-a-calculated-risk-to-relax-aucklands-lockdown-while-new-cases-continue-to-appear-168269">New Zealand government takes a calculated risk to relax Auckland's lockdown while new cases continue to appear</a>
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<p>And while vaccination rates are not yet high enough, they are still helping a lot, cutting the R number to around half what it would be with no vaccine. The country is in a far better position now than it would have been if the Auckland outbreak had happened in May or June. </p>
<p>Everyone can do their bit by doing two things: <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-delta-outbreak-the-90-project-behaviour-change-experts-21-tips-to-help-nz-get-vaccinated/SKZ2KBPVFMF6LPFPWC5XBOBH7M/">help and encourage</a> those around you to get vaccinated, and stick to <a href="https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-levels-and-updates/regional-advice/auckland/">the rules</a>. </p>
<p>We have to keep community transmission rates low to keep pressure off our hospitals and help us get to the next step of the road map. Moving away from a literal interpretation of elimination does not mean waving a white flag.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169251/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Plank is affiliated with the University of Canterbury and receives funding from the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and Te Pūnaha Matatini, New Zealand's Centre of Research Excellence in complex systems.</span></em></p>Most countries experienced serious outbreaks of COVID before widespread vaccination was available. Will it make the difference as New Zealand walks a narrow path towards opening up?Michael Plank, Professor in Applied Mathematics, University of CanterburyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1667882021-08-30T12:28:11Z2021-08-30T12:28:11ZIs it a crime to forge a vaccine card? And what’s the penalty for using a fake?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418094/original/file-20210826-6126-1ssbxkq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C43%2C3583%2C2333&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A nurse displays a real COVID-19 vaccination card.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VurusOutbreakNewYork/a08a3aab2bff493281150f094f7e4124/photo">AP Photo/Craig Ruttle</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Schools, businesses, the military and local governments are requiring proof of vaccination. Yet, unlike the European Union and Australia, which have <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56522408">secure digital proof of vaccination</a>, the United States has not created a systematic way to track vaccinations around the nation. Most places in the U.S. instead rely on paper cards with handwritten notes, which can be easily forged.</p>
<p>As scholars of <a href="https://www.bu.edu/law/profile/christopher-robertson/">health law</a> and <a href="https://www.duq.edu/academics/faculty/wesley-oliver">criminal law</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9GZnzpQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">we</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=mPJubJMAAAAJ">know</a> that people who forge their own vaccine cards, or buy forged cards, are already facing criminal charges.</p>
<p>Federal prosecutors have already brought <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/north-bay/doj-naturopathic-physician-sold-fake-covid-19-vaccine-cards/2594493/">criminal charges</a> against a naturopathic doctor in northern California. In a case involving a licensed pharmacist in Chicago, prosecutors argued that selling official vaccination cards to people who were not really vaccinated <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1425031/download">effectively stole something from the government</a>, by giving it to others without the government’s permission.</p>
<p>This isn’t an entirely new phenomenon. For many years, it has been a <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1035">federal crime</a> to make or use “any materially false writing in any matter involving a health care benefit program.”</p>
<h2>What is the harm?</h2>
<p>When people are caught knowingly buying, selling or using false cards, the proof of guilt will often be clear. The real question is about the appropriate punishment.</p>
<p>Some of the relevant laws, such as wire and mail fraud, have penalties of up to $250,000 and 20 years’ imprisonment for each email, website visit, call or package sent as part of the scheme. These charges can add up, so that a person who sent an email requesting the card, used Venmo to pay for it, then received it in the mail could face 60 years of imprisonment and $750,000 in fines. </p>
<p>But in practice, the law gives prosecutors and judges huge <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3893820">discretion</a> on how to charge and sentence offenders. Typically, judges consider the degree of harm caused or at least the value of the thing that was wrongly acquired. In the case of forged vaccine cards, that is a thorny question. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A laminated document" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=244&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=244&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=244&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">This forged COVID-19 vaccination card was seized during a criminal investigation in California.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreak-FakeVaccinationCards/c417813c1d744e3cbc6dfa1b98e1170d/photo">California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control via AP</a></span>
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<p>A fake vaccination card deceives universities, businesses and employers into granting access they otherwise would not, letting someone use land, buildings or equipment they otherwise would be barred from. In some cases, such as those involving an astronomy researcher supported by federal grants or athletes in bowl games, that access might be worth thousands of dollars. More importantly, that fraudulent access might risk the health of students, clients and staffers who rely on vaccination policies for their own safety. </p>
<p>Prosecutors don’t need to prove that someone was infected or died as a result of a particular person’s use of a fake vaccine card at a specific place and time. The fake card user’s intent to violate trust is sufficient to make the act a crime.</p>
<h2>Counterfeiting is serious</h2>
<p>Aside from the institutions and individuals defrauded, the social harm is obvious. Like counterfeit money or forged checks, a fake vaccination card undermines the public’s faith in all vaccination cards. If a sizable number of documents were illegitimate, people would be unable to trust any of them. </p>
<p><a href="https://guidelines.ussc.gov/gl/%C2%A72B5.1">Punishment in money counterfeiting cases</a>, quite logically, often tracks the value of fake currency possessed. In June 2021, two Maryland men were sentenced to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/captial-heights-man-sentenced-more-three-years-federal-prison-conspiracy-pass-counterfeit">37 months in prison for creating and passing $95,000 in counterfeit bills</a>. But in other cases, the Supreme Court has said that a series of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8709258039539996037">even minor financial frauds</a>, amounting to less than $250 in total losses can lead to life imprisonment.</p>
<p>So far, no one has been sentenced for creating or possessing fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. It is therefore not clear how courts will evaluate the harm done by this sort of fraud.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, whether the harm is conceived as against the government, against the particular people who rely on cards, or against social trust, it is clear that prosecutors and judges have sizable penalties they can hand down.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166788/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Robertson is author of Exposed: Why Our Health Insurance Is Incomplete and What Can Be Done about It (2019).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wesley Oliver does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>People who forge their own vaccine cards, or buy forged cards, are already facing legal problems, including criminal charges.Christopher Robertson, Professor of Law, Boston UniversityWesley Oliver, Professor of Law, Duquesne University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.