The return to concerts, museums, sporting events and traveling seems eminent but it won’t be possible without the help of a new form
of identification.
Our ticket to freedom and next step to normality will be vaccine passports or the presentation of a vaccination card. Just like carrying your driver’s license, this medical record may be an essential addition to have with you.
Vaccine passports will serve as proof that someone has received the coronavirus vaccine.
The passport can be used for international travel and allow an individual to move across borders more freely. It may also be used for domestic purposes, permitting people access to certain businesses, locations or activities within countries, according to an April 15 Kaiser Family Foundation article, a nonprofit focused on national health issues.
The White House will expect the private sector to take the lead on the verification of COVID-19 vaccines.
Officials won’t issue a federal mandate requiring people to obtain vaccination credentials, according to a March 29 Reuters article.
At the time of vaccination, the recipient will be given a vaccination card, but those cards are not likely to serve as a vaccine passport because they can easily be destroyed, lost or faked.
Instead, the passport will be presented through an app. The app allows a venue, airline or other party to scan a code and verify if someone has a digital vaccination record or negative test result on file, according to an April 15 Vox article.
New York has been the first state to debut a COVID-19 vaccine passport.
With its launch of the voluntary Excelsior Pass, New Yorkers are able to enter establishments through the use of an app that verifies the holder meets the standards to enter a venue for mass gatherings, according to an April 2 Condé Nast Traveller article.
Some have voiced concerns over the data security of vaccine passports, but individuals are only reporting their COVID-19 statuses, not their entire health histories.
The pass is built with IBM’s Digital Health Pass solution and doesn’t share underlying medical personal information, nor store or track private health data, according to the New York’s Office of the Governor.
If you’re worried about your data getting leaked, sorry to break it to you, but you’ve already shared far more data by using your phone and through social media platforms including Facebook.
Others might argue denying people access to places based on their vaccination statuses is discriminatory, but vaccination requirements are nothing new.
More than a dozen countries require travelers to show proof of yellow fever vaccination, according to the World Health Organization’s International Travel and Health website.
Schools and universities have their own set of vaccination requirements necessary for enrollment.
People must pass a test to receive a driver’s license and then carry that license at all times in case law enforcement asks to see it.
Anyone is free to refuse the vaccine, but business owners are also free to ensure their businesses are safe for all who enter.
In order to safely return to everyday activities, vaccine passports are the route to recovery.
The ultimate goal is allowing people to enjoy the summer, get students back at schools, lift the economy and return people to the activities they’ve missed for over a year.