As availability of the COVID-19 vaccine begins to expand to more of the population, the health and technology industries are exploring ways to accelerate access to vaccination records. The Vaccine Credential Initiative (VCI) seeks to use the open, interoperable SMART Health Cards specification for individuals to store encrypted, digital copies of their immunization credentials in their digital wallets. But will health centers have the resources to participate, and is forcing someone to prove they’ve been vaccinated ethical?
- Microsoft, Salesforce, and Oracle are working on digital vaccination records [The Verge] “VCI’s press release doesn’t provide a timeline as to when organizations administering COVID-19 vaccines will be able to make these records, so it’s unclear when you’ll be able to actually add one to a digital wallet. And with people in the US already receiving paper cards recording when they get their COVID-19 vaccines, it’s unclear how those records would transfer to VCI’s digital standard, if they can at all.”
- Tech giants are teaming up to build digital vaccine records [Washington Post] “Bioethicists are concerned about developing vaccination certification tools before immunizations are more widely available. […] Such requirements could result in a ‘two-tiered society,’ where vaccinated people have access to jobs and public places and others don’t.”
- Vaccination Passports Are The Only Way We Can Return To Normality [Forbes] “The Vaccination Credential initiative comes amid the likelihood that some airlines and countries will require proof of vaccination certificates, the challenge being to avoid the use of fake documentation. The idea is to leverage enough leadership to create a global digital registry that is reliable, traceable, verifiable and that will allow us to return safely to work, school, events, and travel.”
- Healthvana’s digital COVID-19 vaccination records are about communication, not passports for the immune [TechCrunch] “Keeping LA county residents informed about their COVID-19 inoculation, and when they’re due for a second dose, is the primary purpose of the partnership, and benefits from Healthvana’s experience in improving patient follow-up activities.”
From the Ohio Web Library
- Iyengar, Rishi. “If You Want to Travel next Year, You May Need a Vaccine Passport.” CNN Wire, 28 Dec. 2020.
- “Let’s Find out How the Vaccine Works before Focusing on ‘Covid Passports.’” Daily Telegraph (London), Dec. 2020, p. 21.
- Court, Emma. “Los Angeles Vaccine Recipients Can Put the Proof in Apple Wallet.” Bloomberg.Com, Dec. 2020, p. N.PAG.
