China launches digital vaccination certificates for travelling abroad

China has officially launched digital coronavirus vaccination certificate for international travel, containing information on vaccination and results of PCR and antibodies tests, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi had on Sunday said that Beijing planned to initiate the digital certificate programme, and was ready to discuss mutual recognition of the results of coronavirus vaccination with other countries.

The certificate can be issued by a special mini-programme for the Chinese WeChat messaging and social media app.

Currently, only Chinese citizens can apply for it by using their personal ID.

According to the template posted on the ministry’s consular affairs department website, the certificate will list the name, nationality, passport number, PCR and IgG test results, as well as their date and testing site.

It will also have information on the vaccination status, including the vaccine’s name, type, manufacturer, the vaccination date and the number of doses received.

The certificate can be printed or shown on a phone screen and will have a unique QR code that can be scanned by various countries’ agencies to check the document’s validity.

It is still unknown, however, whether the certificate will allow avoidance of quarantine upon arriving in China from other countries, and whether other countries will accept the digital document.

About Ahmid Lawal, Abuja with agency report

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