Statement of the Mediaform Group regarding the introduction of a immunity pass

Immunity Pass (Source Mediaform)

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn already introduced a highly debated proposal for the introduction of an immunity pass in the Federal Cabinet last week. The so-called "Draft of a Second Law for the Protection of the Population in the Event of an Epidemic Situation of National Significance" aims to provide a reliable proof of SARS-CoV-2 immunity, which should especially help healthcare workers. Even though the relevant clause was removed from the current draft law, the introduction of an immunity pass remains under discussion. If this is legally anchored following the opinion of the German Ethics Council, a quick implementation will be necessary.
As a provider of recording and labeling solutions with accompanying data management and long-standing partners among German laboratories and clinics, the Mediaform Group is currently working on solution proposals for the practical implementation of an immunity pass. A different approach than the one proposed by Spahn could prove to be more practical. Currently, the Federal Minister of Health's draft law stipulates that SARS-CoV-2 immunity should be documented similarly to vaccination documentation, i.e., in the vaccination pass. The entry will likely have to be made by the general practitioner.

"At this point, we see potential for optimization," says Jörg Weber, Managing Director of Mediaform Group. "Proof of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is currently not a billing service and must therefore be paid for by the client themselves – whether it is an individual or a company, for example, testing their employees. It is likely that the laboratory result will then be sent directly to the client and not to the general practitioner," Weber explains. The consequence would be a significant administrative effort.

So why not use a method that has already proven successful and is practiced daily in thousands of German laboratories? "The idea behind it is that laboratories and the laboratory specialists working there can authorize their lab findings themselves, as they have been doing for years – for example, in the documentation of blood group certificates or in proof of Rötel immunization for maternity passes," Weber explains. By adapting these established procedures, laboratories could also easily determine and document the immunity status for SARS-CoV-2 via a certificate. The lab result can be provided either electronically or on paper. Subsequently, the immunity pass is sent as a supplementary plastic card in a convenient credit card format directly from the laboratory to the client – regardless of whether the proof of immunity remains a private service in the future or can be billed through health insurance.

A corresponding concept paper for the introduction of a health or immunity pass – including design and data content – has already been conceived and developed by Mediaform with professional involvement from laboratory specialists. This health pass is intended for submission to the employer, as proof of access rights in care facilities, or in connection with contacts to people or groups under legal contact restrictions or according to hygiene guidelines in accordance with the Infection Protection Act (IfSG), and only in conjunction with a valid ID card. With the development of an improved antibody test, the proof of immunity will become even more significant – especially for healthcare professions or other systemically relevant jobs. Because resuming activity requires a health certificate based on a conclusive laboratory test. The latter serves as the basis for issuing a written health certificate for presentation to the employer and is in accordance with the guidelines of the Infection Protection Act.

"But also with regard to travel to other European countries, the need for proof of immunity should be kept in mind. Countries like Italy, Spain, or France, which are more severely affected by the Corona pandemic than Germany, could in the future make proof of immunity a requirement for entry. At the latest, then, we would have to reconsider this in Germany," Weber is confident.