- Pfizer vaccines licensed by UK regulator and will be distributed from next week
- Wales says people will be issued with ID-style cards to show they have had jab
- Fears that pubs and shops could demand proof of vaccine before allowing entry
People in Wales are to receive an ID-style card to prove they have been vaccinated for coronavirus, it was announced today.
Health minister Vaughan Gething revealed the move as he hailed news that that Pfizer jabs have been approved by UK regulators.
The cards will include the date of immunisation, with the Labour-run Welsh government insisting it will serve as a ‘reminder’ about when individuals need the second dose.
However, they raised fears of an ‘authoritarian’ crackdown with pubs, shops and other public venues able to demand to see the proof before people are given access.
UK government ministers have dismissed the idea they are preparing official ‘immunity passports’ that would allow people to return to normal life once they have received a jab.
But vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi suggested earlier this week that although the jabs will be voluntary, businesses could ask to see proof before allowing people in.
In a statement to the Welsh parliament, Mr Gething said: ‘Those receiving a COVID-19 vaccination will be given a credit card-sized NHS Wales immunisation card which will have the vaccine name, date of immunisation and batch number of each of the doses given handwritten on them.
‘These will act as a reminder for a second dose and for the type of vaccine, and it will also give information about how to report side effects.’
UK regulators today approved Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination to start in just days.