Microsoft, Salesforce and Oracle are working on Covid vaccination passport

LONDON – A Covid digital vaccination passport is being jointly developed by a group of health and technology companies that predict that governments, airlines and other businesses will soon start asking people for proof that they have been vaccinated.

A coalition known as the Vaccination Credential Initiative – which includes Microsoft, Salesforce and Oracle, as well as the nonprofit healthcare Mayo Clinic in the United States – was announced on Thursday.

The VCI has said it wants to develop technology that allows individuals to obtain an encrypted digital copy of their vaccination credentials that can be stored in a digital wallet of their choice, such as Apple Wallet or Google Pay. He suggested that anyone without a smartphone could receive paper printed with QR codes containing verifiable credentials.

The coalition said it will also try to develop new standards to confirm whether or not a person has been vaccinated against the virus. Previously, citizens used vaccination records to keep track of their travel vaccines, but authorities rarely ask to see them.

“The purpose of the Vaccination Certificates Initiative is to give individuals digital access to their immunization records,” said Paul Meyer, CEO of the nonprofit The Commons Project, which is a member of the coalition , in a press release.

He added that the technology should allow people “to return safely to travel, to work, to school and to life, while protecting the privacy of their data.”

Bill Patterson, executive vice president and general manager of enterprise software company Salesforce, said his company wanted to help organizations “personalize all aspects of the immunization management lifecycle and integrate closely to the offers of other coalition members, which will help us all return to public life. “

“With a single platform to help ensure safe and continuous operations and build trust with customers and employees, this coalition will be crucial in supporting public health and well-being,” added Patterson.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

While many people are anxious to protect themselves from the virus, some are adamant that they will not receive the vaccine, leaving populations divided between those who have been vaccinated and those who have not. In the UK, one in five say they are unlikely to get vaccinated, according to a YouGov study released in November, citing various reasons.

Millions of people around the world still do not want to be vaccinated, according to opinion polls. Some fear needles, some believe in unfounded conspiracy theories, and some worry about potential side effects. Others just don’t think getting the vaccine is necessary and would rather risk catching Covid.

Due to the differing views, a debate could start to emerge in 2021. Should restrictions be placed on people who choose not to be vaccinated, given that they can catch and spread the virus?

It’s a touchy subject, but governments are already considering introducing systems that would allow authorities, and perhaps businesses, to tell whether a person has received a Covid vaccine or not.

In December, it emerged that Los Angeles County was planning to let Covid vaccinees store proof of immunization in their iPhone’s Apple wallet, which can also store tickets and boarding passes digitally. Officials say it will first be used to remind people to get the second shot, but could eventually be used to gain access to concert halls or air flights.

China has launched a health code app that shows if a person has no symptoms to check in at a hotel or use the metro. In Chile, citizens who have recovered from the coronavirus have received “virus-free” certificates.

On December 28, Spain’s Health Minister Salvador Illa said the country would create a registry to show who has refused to be vaccinated and the database could be shared across Europe.

Elsewhere, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in April that immunity passports could be used to help Airmen feel more confident in their personal safety when traveling.

A Ryanair spokesperson said “vaccination will not be a requirement while flying with Ryanair” when CNBC asked if it would ever prevent unvaccinated people from flying on its plane. British Airways, Qantas and easyJet did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Isra Black, a senior lecturer in law at the University of York, and Lisa Forsberg, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford who studies medical ethics, told CNBC that “it’s not easy to say whether it would be ethically acceptable for a state to impose restrictions “on people who refuse a coup.

The academics said in a joint statement via email that the response will depend on factors such as vaccine supply, the level of immunization in the population, the nature of the restrictions on vaccine refusals and how the restrictions are operationalized. .

“We might think that there are strong reasons, although not necessarily decisive, in favor of limiting the recovery of prepandemic freedoms for people who refuse vaccination against Covid-19, for example, on their freedom to come together, ”Black and Forsberg said. “There is a potential for unvaccinated people to contract a severe case of coronavirus, which we believe would be bad for them, but could also negatively affect others, for example, if health resources are to be diverted from non-Covid care. “