, after Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the city was "facing a very dire situation of a major community outbreak any time.", Handcock added.
Testing and vaccinations will continue to be part of the process of travel for 2022 and possibly 2023, he said, referencing a recent survey that Collinson conducted with CAPA - Centre for Aviation.He also said he doesn't expect omicron to cause "significant" changes.When asked if verification of tests and vaccination statuses could be simplified for travel, Handcock said the goal is to have a digital, interoperable system that can be used globally.
Developed countries have raced ahead in offering booster shots, while much of the world hasn't been inoculated, he said., he added that Covid variants will emerge as long as there are large, unvaccinated populations. About 59% of the world's population has received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine — but only 8.8% of those in low-income countries received at least one dose, according to data collated by Our World in Data.