A coalition of health and technology organizations is working to develop a digital COVID-19 vaccination passport that will allow companies, airlines and countries to check whether people have received the vaccine.
The Vaccination Credential Initiative, announced Thursday, is formulating technology to confirm vaccinations in the likelihood that some governments will require people to provide proof of their shots to enter the country.
The organization hopes the technology will enable people to “demonstrate their health status in order to return to travel, work, school and life safely while protecting their data privacy.”
The initiative, with members including Microsoft, Oracle and the US nonprofit Mayo Clinic, uses the work of the Member Commons Project’s international digital document verifying that a person has tested negative for COVID-19, the Financial Times reported.
The Commons Project technology, developed in conjunction with the Rockefeller Foundation, is used by three major airline alliances.
The coalition is reportedly in talks with several governments to set up a program that requires either negative tests or proof of vaccination to enter, Paul Meyer, the CEO of The Commons Project, told the Times.
“The goal of the Vaccination Credential Initiative is to give individuals digital access to their vaccination records so they can use tools such as CommonPass to safely return to travel, work, school and life, while protecting their data privacy,” Meyer said. a release.
The people who get vaccinated are currently getting a piece of paper confirming their vaccination, he said, but the coalition could develop a digital certificate using electronic medical records.
The technology will allow patients to secure their data while available in a digital wallet or physical QR code, so they can control who sees the information.
The Vaccination Credential Initiative expects certain companies, such as event planners and universities, to require their consumers, students and employees to provide proof of vaccination, according to the Times.
Mike Sicilia, the executive vice president of Oracle’s Global Business Units, said in a statement that the passport should be “as simple as online banking.”
“We are committed to working with the technology and medical communities, as well as global governments, to ensure that people have secure access to this information when and where they need it,” he added.
The project is also evolving as new strains of COVID-19 emerge worldwide, including the spread of the suspected more contagious variant that was discovered in the UK.