The Biden administration says there will be no federally mandated system for people to show their Covid-19 status amid fierce debate over vaccine passports as states reopen and travel increases.
"The government is not now nor will we be supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
"There will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential."
Dr Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden, gave a similar opinion to Politico on Monday.
“I doubt that the federal government will be the main mover of a vaccine passport concept,” Dr Fauci said.
“They may be involved in making sure things are done fairly and equitably, but I doubt if the federal government is going to be the leading element of that.”
There are concerns over privacy, protection of medical information and federal involvement when it comes to proving Covid vaccination.
"Americans’ privacy and rights should be protected," Ms Psaki said.
She said the Biden administration would at some point provide official guidance on any Covid vaccination credentials.
It will cover issues of security, privacy and discrimination, Ms Psaki said, so that "these systems are not used against people unfairly".
Private businesses, universities, offices and organisers of large-scale event are debating whether to demand Covid-19 vaccinations and looking at how people can prove they have been immunised.
“There may be theatres that say, ‘You don’t get in unless you have proof of vaccination'," Dr Fauci said.
"There may be colleges or other educational institutions that do that. I’m not saying they should or that they would.
"But I’m saying you could foresee how an independent entity might say, ‘Well, we can’t be dealing with you unless we know you’re vaccinated'."
Legal experts told The New York Times that organisations are allowed to permit or deny entry to people who have not been vaccinated.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention already provide cards as proof of inoculation, but other forms of evidence, such as apps, are causing debates over privacy and security.
CommonPass, created by the Commons Project and the World Economic Forum, is an electronic way to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a negative PCR test result.
The organisation says the mobile app is in domestic trials.
The International Air Travel Association has a travel pass that is gaining use around the world.
New York state has a similar app called Excelsior Pass, which was developed by IBM.
The state uses it for large-scale events at Madison Square Garden, Barclays Centre and Citi Field, which have reopened with limited capacity.
The application is facing challenges over privacy protection for app users, which have not yet been clarified.
Either way, the state says users can present proof of vaccination or a negative test result without the app.
The debate has become political, with some states moving to ban vaccine passports or credentials.
Texas, which was the first and largest US state to fully reopen, is not allowing vaccine passports.
"As I have said all along, these vaccines are always voluntary and never forced," Governor Gregg Abbott said.
"Government should not require any Texan to show proof of vaccination and reveal private health information just to go about their daily lives.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order last Friday outlawing businesses from requiring patrons to show vaccine papers.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves also said he was against vaccine passports.
The governors of Florida, Mississippi and Texas are all Republican, indicating that the conversation may be divided along party lines.
The prospect of the passports has also become a hot topic on social media, trending high on Twitter in the past few weeks.
People are already required to be vaccinated for some diseases including measles or mumps for international travel.
Proof of vaccination against yellow fever has also been widely referred to in arguments about immunisation cards being used for entry into some countries.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
More from our Neighbourhood series:
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
This is an info box
- info goes here
- and here
- and here
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Read more about the coronavirus
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
