Technology coalition working to create a digital COVID-19 vaccination passport



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A coalition of health and tech organizations is working to develop a digital COVID-19 vaccination passport to allow businesses, airlines and countries to verify whether people have received the vaccine.

The vaccination certificates initiative, announced on Thursday, is formulating technology to confirm vaccinations in the likelihood that some governments will require people to provide proof of their vaccines in order to enter the country.

The organization hopes the technology will allow people to “demonstrate their health to safely return to travel, work, school and life while protecting the privacy of their data.”

The initiative, which includes members like Microsoft, Oracle and Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit in the United States, uses work from the Commons Project member’s international digital document that verifies that a person has tested negative for COVID- 19, reported the Financial Times.

The technology of the Commons project, created in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, is used by three major airline alliances.

The coalition is said to be in talks with several governments to create a program requiring negative tests or proof of vaccination to enter, Paul Meyer, chief executive of The Commons Project, told The Times.

“The aim of the Vaccination Certificates initiative is to give individuals digital access to their immunization records so they can use tools like CommonPass to safely return to travel, work, school. and to life, while protecting the confidentiality of their data.

People who have vaccinated are currently receiving a piece of paper confirming their vaccination, he said, but the coalition could develop a digital certificate using electronic medical records.

The technology will need to allow patients to protect their data while being available in a digital wallet or physical QR code to allow them to determine who sees the information.

The Vaccination Credential Initiative expects some businesses such as event planners and universities to require their consumers, students and workers to provide proof of vaccination, according to the Times.

Mike Sicilia, executive vice president of global business units at Oracle, said in a statement that the passport “should be as easy as online banking.”

“We are committed to working collectively with the technology and medical communities, as well as with global governments, to ensure that people have secure access to this information where and when they need it,” he added.

The project is also growing as new strains of COVID-19 emerge around the world, including the spread of the variant considered to be more contagious which has been discovered in the UK.



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