Covid-19: Bulgaria is ready to issue digital green certificates

Bulgaria is technically ready to issue the new digital green certificates, the country’s Chief State Health Inspector, Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev, told BNT on March 17.

The laboratory of virology in "Pirogov" emergency hospital explained the different values ​​of antibodies, which are considered positive according to different tests.

Bulgaria has a model of a green electronic certificate from three weeks ago.

"As part of the information portal, which includes all the information about tests, immunizations, people who have gone through them, so that a person after the second dose of vaccine. either alone or with a GP can get such a document," the chief state health inspector said.

There are many questions that still do not have an answer regarding the future document and one of them is what level of antibodies will be considered sufficient. And there are more, such as:

"The test results of which companies will be recognized, with what values, for what time period. This also applies for those who recovered from Covid-19. How many months after the illness we can consider that people are protected and whether they would receive such a certificate," Kunchev added.

That is why, according to him, the European Commission's model for a green certificate is still the beginning of the process, not its end.

What is a digital green certificate?

Prof. Iva Ugrinova, a consultant to one of the laboratories of "Pirogov" hospital explained how many types of tests for antibodies are done in the country and which will be considered valid in the future green certificate.

She said that that the methodologies by which antibodies are tested in Bulgaria after Covid-19 illness are many. The method is ELISA, but the devices, their units of measurement and the end result are different.

"Therefore, I can advise to look at the reference values. In each result there are reference values, against which one result is considered negative or positive," explained Prof. Ugrinova. The professor showed three different versions of antibody tests with very different values ​​as a final figure. In the first, the result of one of the machines used in "Pirogov" is 5.5 and is positive for the presence of antibodies, because the reference value is above 1. In the second, also made in that laboratory, but on another machine, we could see the figure 284, in which the reference value is above 22. The third variant of the test shows different norm range.

"Please pay attention to the units of measurement, this is about conventional units, units per milliliter. Other devices have other units of measurement and then the number on the front will be different. So someone may say “I have 1000 antibodies” and another may say “ have 19," she explained.

That is why, according to her, the European Commission is currently discussing which values ​​will be valid for the future green certificate.

According to Prof. Ugrinova, however, there is no option to adopt a specific research methodology, because that would mean unfair competition. Therefore, according to her, the medical specialist who will fill in the electronic green certificate will be informed about the decision of the European Commission and will only enter the fact that the person has enough antibodies without specific figures.

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On March 17, the European Commission proposed the creation of a Digital Green Certificate to facilitate safe free movement inside the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Digital Green Certificate will be a proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19. It will be available, free of charge, in digital or paper format.

It will include a QR code to ensure security and authenticity of the certificate. The Commission will build a gateway to ensure all certificates can be verified across the EU, and support Member States in the technical implementation of certificates.

Member States remain responsible to decide which public health restrictions can be waived for travellers but will have to apply such waivers in the same way to travellers holding a Digital Green Certificate, the Commission said.

Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová said: “The Digital Green Certificate offers an EU-wide solution to ensure that EU citizens benefit from a harmonised digital tool to support free movement in the EU. This is a good message in support of recovery. Our key objectives are to offer an easy to use, non-discriminatory and secure tool that fully respects data protection. And we continue working towards international convergence with other partners.”

Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said: “With the Digital Green Certificate, we are taking a European approach to ensure EU citizens and their family members can travel safely and with minimum restrictions this summer. The Digital Green Certificate will not be a pre-condition to free movement and it will not discriminate in any way. A common EU-approach will not only help us to gradually restore free movement within the EU and avoid fragmentation. It is also a chance to influence global standards and lead by example based on our European values like data protection.”

Key elements of the regulation proposed by the Commission today:

1. Accessible and secure certificates for all EU citizens:

• The Digital Green Certificate will cover three types of certificates –vaccination certificates, test certificates (NAAT/RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen test), and certificates for persons who have recovered from COVID-19.
• The certificates will be issued in a digital form or on paper. Both will have a QR code that contains necessary key information as well as a digital signature to make sure the certificate is authentic.
• The Commission will build a gateway and support Member States to develop software that authorities can use to verify all certificate signatures across the EU. No personal data of the certificate holders passes through the gateway, or is retained by the verifying Member State.
• The certificates will be available free of charge and in the official language or languages of the issuing Member State and English.

2. Non-discrimination:

• All people – vaccinated and non-vaccinated – should benefit from a Digital Green Certificate when travelling in the EU. To prevent discrimination against individuals who are not vaccinated, the Commission proposes to create not only an interoperable vaccination certificate, but also COVID-19 test certificates and certificates for persons who have recovered from COVID-19.
• Same right for travellers with the Digital Green Certificate –where Member States accept proof of vaccination to waive certain public health restrictions such as testing or quarantine, they would be required to accept, under the same conditions, vaccination certificates issued under the Digital Green Certificate system. This obligation would be limited to vaccines that have received EU-wide marketing authorisation, but Member States can decide to accept other vaccines in addition.
• Notification of other measures – if a Member State continues to require holders of a Digital Green Certificate to quarantine or test, it must notify the Commission and all other Member States and explain the reasons for such measures.

3. Only essential information and secure personal data:

• The certificates will include a limited set of information such as name, date of birth, date of issuance, relevant information about vaccine/test/recovery and a unique identifier of the certificate. This data can be checked only to confirm and verify the authenticity and validity of certificates.

The Digital Green Certificate will be valid in all EU Member States and open for Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway as well as Switzerland. The Digital Green Certificate should be issued to EU citizens and their family members, regardless of their nationality. It should also be issued to non-EU nationals who reside in the EU and to visitors who have the right to travel to other Member States.

The Digital Green Certificate system is a temporary measure. It will be suspended once the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of the COVID-19 international health emergency, the statement of the EC said.