3:11 p.m. ET, January 18, 2022
Health pass prevented more than 6,000 Covid-19 deaths across three major European countries, study shows
From CNN’s Xiaofei Xu in Paris
A visitor has their smartphone Covid-19 health pass checked before entering the George Pompidou Center in Paris, France, in August 2021.
(Nathan Laine/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
The adoption of a health pass saved close to 4,000 lives in France, 1,100 in Germany and 1,300 in Italy, between the time the three countries adopted a health pass and the end of 2021, according to a study published Tuesday by the French Council of Economic Analysis, an independent body that advises the government.
A health pass requires full vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative Covid test mandatory in bars, restaurants, theaters and other entertainment venues. France and Italy announced the measure in July of last year and Germany in August.
“Notably, the application of health pass substantially reduced the pressure on intensive care units (ICUs) and, in France, averted surpassing the occupancy levels where prior lockdowns were instated,” the study says.
One main driver behind this is the positive effect health pass had on vaccination rates across the three countries. It boosted vaccination rate in France by roughly 13%, in Germany by 6.2% and in Italy by 9.7%, according to the model estimates.
Health passes also helped avoid huge economic loss across the three countries -- 6 billion euros in France, 1.4 billion euros in Germany and 2.1 billion euros in Italy, it said.
The French Constitutional Court is set to rule on a new bill on January 21, that will turn the country’s health pass into a vaccination pass, meaning proof of vaccination is necessary for access to a range of everyday activities, from entering restaurants and bars to traveling inside the country. It would no longer accept proof of a negative test or recent recovery from Covid.
Italy in December made a "super green pass" mandatory in bars, restaurants, theaters and other closed entertainment venues, which was an extension to the country's green pass, which requires full vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative Covid test. As opposed to the normal green pass, the "super green pass" does not accept a negative test in lieu of the vaccine — a move by the government to encourage more people to get vaccinated.