A coalition of big tech and major healthcare companies, including Oracle, Microsoft and Mayo Clinic, is reportedly working to develop a digital Wuhan pneumonia (COVID-19) vaccination passport that would allow companies, airlines and governments to check whether individuals have been vaccinated.
On Thursday, the Vaccination Credential Initiative announced that it is developing technology to confirm vaccinations in case governments require people to provide proof that they have been vaccinated in order to travel, according to a Jan. 14 report in the Financial Times.
The Vaccination Credential Initiative, a consortium of Microsoft, Oracle and the Mayo Clinic, was founded on the idea that one of its members, the Microsoft Vaccination Credential Initiative, could provide proof of vaccination. The consortium builds on the work of one of its members, the Commons Project, to develop internationally recognized digital certificates that certify that travelers have tested negative for the Wuhan virus.
The consortium hopes the technology will allow people to “demonstrate their health status to safely return to travel, work, school and life, while protecting the privacy of their data.
The Project Share system, created in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, has already been adopted by three major airline alliances. According to Paul Meyer, CEO of Project Share, the alliance is currently in discussions with several governments to develop a plan that would require a negative virus test result or a certificate of vaccination to enter the country.
In a press release, Meyer said, “The goal of the Certificate of Vaccination Initiative is to give individuals digital access to their vaccination records so they can use tools like CommonPass to securely return to travel, work, school and life while protecting the privacy of their data.”
Until now, Meyer said, people who have been vaccinated have typically been given a single piece of paper, reminiscent of the “old yellow card. By working with U.S.-based health IT companies such as Epic and Cerner, the new system will be able to extract information from electronic medical records to create digital cards.
Each country will be able to set its own rules, such as the type of Wuhan pneumonia vaccine it will accept. The system will be responsible for ensuring data security, with individuals keeping their records in a digital wallet or paper QR code so they can control who they share the data with.
Joan Harvey, president of care solutions at Evernorth, the health care division of insurer Cigna, said she anticipates that some businesses, such as event organizers, may require vaccination certificates from their customers, while universities may want vaccination certificates from students and employers from employees.
We provide insurance to thousands of companies around the world, and it’s obviously of great interest to them …… that they can not only [return] to travel globally and be able to do their job, but also do it in a certified manner and with the consumer owning the data,” she said. “
(Vaccination) passports “must be as easy [to use] as online banking,” said Mike Sicilia, executive vice president of Oracle’s global business unit, adding, “We are committed to working with the technology and healthcare communities, as well as governments around the world, to ensure people can access this information securely, where and when they need it.”
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