Are Vaccine Passports Just Around the Corner? U.S., Canada, Mexico Launch Pandemic Preparedness Initiative

The U.S., Canada and Mexico last week launched a joint pandemic preparedness initiative that one critic warned could empower the WHO to impose global control measures like vaccine passports.

by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D.

The U.S., Canada and Mexico launched a joint pandemic preparedness initiative they said will unite the countries’ public health agencies around a “One Health” approach to addressing future pandemics.

A critic of the new initiative warned the plan may empower the World Health Organization (WHO) — the architect of the original One Health Initiative — to impose global control measures like vaccine passports and new policies targeting the “infodemic.”

“Because this is an initiative from the WHO, I am deeply concerned,” said Nicholas Hulscher, an epidemiologist and fellow at the McCullough Foundation. “They appear to be seeking domain over plants, animals, and humans — globalized, central control over public health policies in all participating countries.”

The WHO defines One Health as “an integrated, unifying approach to balance and optimize the health of people, animals and the environment.”

Public Health Canada says One Health “considers the relationships between the health of humans, animals, and the environment” — suggesting future pandemics or public health threats may cross from animals to humans.

Hulscher suggested bird flu could become the source of the next pandemic — and the basis for imposing global control. He said:

“The biopharmaceutical complex wishes for H5N1 bird flu to become a human pandemic, as it will give them another opportunity to implement draconian control measures and mandate mRNA injections.

“Their obsession with zoonotic diseases may be due to their potential for high mortality rates, which increases the probability of high vaccine uptake and adherence to strict countermeasures like lockdowns.”

Are partner agencies too corrupt to be trusted?

In announcing the Oct. 23 launch of the North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the impetus for the new initiative.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that there are myriad political, legal, regulatory, policy, preparedness, and response challenges that can be best addressed through a stronger, coordinated regional approach across multiple sectors when facing large-scale events,” the HHS said in a statement.

The HHS identified several “priority issues” for the new initiative, including animal diseases with zoonotic potential, infectious diseases with pandemic potential, epidemiological surveillance, medical and public health countermeasures, border health measures, risk communications and joint exercises and training.

The U.S. agencies involved in the initiative include the HHS, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State.

The initiative’s One Health approach may also involve “non-government actors,” according to an HHS report outlining the initiative.

Hulscher accused the public health agencies behind the North American initiative of being captured by Big Pharma. He said:

“Pandemic preparedness is only a good thing when the agencies involved lack a nefarious agenda. Investigation into safe and effective treatments is critical in combating pandemics.

“Unfortunately, our public health agencies are compromised by the biopharmaceutical complex and thus seek to prioritize experimental injections over other medical countermeasures, regardless of their safety and efficacy.”

COVID response paved way for vaccine passports

The HHS report also suggests that “border health measures” — including vaccine passports — could be implemented during a future pandemic or public health emergency. The report states:

“The implementation of border health measures at airports, seaports, and land borders such as screening of passengers, vaccination requirements, quarantine, and entry restrictions, etc., should be evidence-based and aimed to slow the introduction or spread of a pathogen in the region.”

Hulscher claimed the initiative would officially enshrine public health measures first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the necessary constructs have been created to facilitate vaccine passports. They will be able to quickly enact these measures for the ‘next pandemic’ using the same systems,” Hulscher said.

The HHS report also suggests the new initiative should adopt “a more systematic approach” to tackle the “infodemic” — referring to purported “misinformation” and “disinformation” on health-related topics.

The WHO defines the “infodemic” as “too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak.”

According to the WHO, the infodemic “causes confusion and risk-taking behaviours that can harm health” and foster “mistrust in health authorities.”

“This means they will try to ‘prebunk misinformation,’” Hulscher said. “It appears they wish to abolish free speech to ‘protect public health.’”

Hulscher also suggested the North American initiative might become a surrogate for the pandemic treaty if ongoing negotiations fail.

“The WHO is struggling to get member states to agree on their pandemic treaty,” he said. “The North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative seems to closely resemble the ‘goals’ of the WHO treaty, thus providing a ‘failsafe’ for North America if negotiations continue to fail.”