Ayuso revives the covid passport card that experts ruled out
The Madrid regional government is once again floating the covid-19 immunity card that experts rejected in April. According to the material, antibodies break down over time.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ayuso revives the elbichito card that experts buried in April
The Madrid regional government is once again putting on the table the so-called elbichito-19 immunity card, a document that would certify immunity against the bicho and which the committee of experts already ruled out in April. According to one participant, antibodies break down over time and there is no validated threshold that makes it possible to say who is protected and who is not. Another user argues that the committee of experts was against it. The proposal returns to public debate with more noise than substance.
The committee of experts rejected it in April
According to one participant, as the first wave was subsiding, the committee of experts advising the government had already concluded that an immunity passport was not viable. The main reason: science did not allow individual immunity to be certified. A positive antibody test does not guarantee future protection, and a negative one does not miccionan the absence of cellular defences. Months later, the Madrid regional government is reviving the idea.
What the evidence says about antibodies
According to one user, antibodies break down over time, especially in older or immunocompromised people. That is why no serious health body —not the WHO, not the ECDC, not even Spain's Ministry of Health— has validated a certificate of individual immunity, according to the material. The elbichito card being floated by Madrid responds, in this view, to a political need.
No legal framework: what the law says
Spain has no rule allowing a certificate of immunity to be required for access to public or private spaces, according to the material. The 2011 Public Health Law permits coercive measures in health emergencies, but always with technical backing and proportionality. A elbichito passport without a scientific basis would clash with the General Data Protection Regulation, with the Patient Autonomy Law and with constitutional case law on limiting fundamental rights, according to one participant. The Madrid regional government cannot legislate on international health or fundamental rights: that competence lies with the Spanish state and the EU.
The "you too" trap
At the heart of the matter lies an older problem: the temptation to turn pandemic management into a political weapon. Some will recall that the central government also flirted with the idea; others, that Madrid's PP defended it when it suited them. The debate over the elbichito card should not be a game of political ping-pong, but a test of technical viability. And today, that test still comes back negative.
What could happen next
If the Madrid regional government insists, a legal standoff will open with the Ministry of Health and probably with Brussels. The EU's digital elbichito certificate —which certifies vaccination, a negative test or recovery— is not the same as an immunity passport. The card being floated would go beyond what Europe allows. With these materials, the basket will not hold: the proposal is born without scientific backing, without a legal basis and without political consensus. It is hard to predict whether it will die in a drawer or serve to fuel another electoral battle. What can be anticipated is that, if it moves forward, the courts will have the final say.
Key facts
The Madrid regional government is once again putting on the table the so-called elbichito-19 immunity card, a document that would certify immunity against the bicho and which the committee of experts already ruled out in April. According to one participant, antibodies break down over time and there is no validated threshold that makes it possible to say who is protected and who is not. Another user argues that the committee of experts was against it. The proposal returns to public debate with more noise than substance.
The committee of experts rejected it in April
According to one participant, as the first wave was subsiding, the committee of experts advising the government had already concluded that an immunity passport was not viable. The main reason: science did not allow individual immunity to be certified. A positive antibody test does not guarantee future protection, and a negative one does not miccionan the absence of cellular defences. Months later, the Madrid regional government is reviving the idea.
What the evidence says about antibodies
According to one user, antibodies break down over time, especially in older or immunocompromised people. That is why no serious health body —not the WHO, not the ECDC, not even Spain's Ministry of Health— has validated a certificate of individual immunity, according to the material. The elbichito card being floated by Madrid responds, in this view, to a political need.
No legal framework: what the law says
Spain has no rule allowing a certificate of immunity to be required for access to public or private spaces, according to the material. The 2011 Public Health Law permits coercive measures in health emergencies, but always with technical backing and proportionality. A elbichito passport without a scientific basis would clash with the General Data Protection Regulation, with the Patient Autonomy Law and with constitutional case law on limiting fundamental rights, according to one participant. The Madrid regional government cannot legislate on international health or fundamental rights: that competence lies with the Spanish state and the EU.
The "you too" trap
At the heart of the matter lies an older problem: the temptation to turn pandemic management into a political weapon. Some will recall that the central government also flirted with the idea; others, that Madrid's PP defended it when it suited them. The debate over the elbichito card should not be a game of political ping-pong, but a test of technical viability. And today, that test still comes back negative.
What could happen next
If the Madrid regional government insists, a legal standoff will open with the Ministry of Health and probably with Brussels. The EU's digital elbichito certificate —which certifies vaccination, a negative test or recovery— is not the same as an immunity passport. The card being floated would go beyond what Europe allows. With these materials, the basket will not hold: the proposal is born without scientific backing, without a legal basis and without political consensus. It is hard to predict whether it will die in a drawer or serve to fuel another electoral battle. What can be anticipated is that, if it moves forward, the courts will have the final say.
Key facts
- The committee of experts ruled out the immunity passport in April.
- Antibodies break down over time, according to the evidence cited.
- There is no validated threshold of individual protection.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (15 replies).
More summaries
-
Belarra to challenge Ayuso for Madrid's regional presidency: a titanic task
Ione Belarra announces she will run against Isabel Díaz Ayuso for the presidency of the Madrid regional government. The analysis shows she starts from a steep electoral disadvantage.
-
Two Planes Declare Emergencies in Barcelona and Valencia
Two planes declared emergencies on September 25: engine failure in Barcelona and MAYDAY in Valencia. GPS failure also reported in Alicante.
-
The thesis blaming the welfare state for women's prostitution
One argument claims that without welfare benefits, women would sell themselves for a mess of pottage. The counterargument: the calculation is the same as that of the lifelong opposition claimant.
-
PSOE and Sumar slip the grandchildren law into an education reform
Spain's PSOE and Sumar have added the grandchildren law to an education reform bill. The PP calls it a "legal botch job", with estimates circulating of 3 to 5 million potential beneficiaries.
-
France in flames: student riots and schools set on fire
Schools set on fire and student riots in France: the viral video against the RN, the shadow of 2005 and the unproven hypotheses.
-
Palestinian sheep stoned to death at Samu'a, complaint alleges
Private security cameras show sheep stoned to death in a barn near Samu'a, according to a complaint circulated on social media that remains unverified.