Covid-19: Certifying status for 'vaccine passports' must not increase GPs' workload, says Royal College

Any introduction of covid status certification or “vaccine passports” must have zero impact on GPs’ workload, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has said. In evidence submitted to the UK government about a possible covid status certification scheme, the college expressed concerns that involving GPs would intensify the workload pressures already facing the profession.1 The government called for evidence on covid status certification as part of its review into whether such a scheme might be used to reopen businesses and reduce social restrictions. Covid status certification would use testing and vaccination data to confirm that people have “a lower chance of transmitting covid-19 to others.”2 It would be available to vaccinated and unvaccinated people who have been tested. The government said it believed that in some settings—such as essential public services, public …