Vaccine Passport AKA Patient ID Round 2

Vaccine Passport

A vaccine passport is a Covid19 immunization proof for individuals. It could be in the form of a smartphone app or a written card that we have received with many individuals trying to laminate the card.

New York and San Francisco

New York was the first to issue a digital vaccine passport using IBM’s Excelsior Pass app. Brooklyn Nets and New York Rangers hockey tested the app at a game last month.

Do you want to attend a San Francisco Giants game? The stadium now requires proof of vaccination or a 72-hours-old (or less) negative COVID test result to attend. Sign up for the Clear pass is the digital option here.

International Travel

Now here is the road warrior challenge. Outside of the US, the vaccine passport is a requirement. The European Union is likely to launch in June. Israel and China have already introduced a vaccine passport while the UK is debating creating its version.

Singapore, BA, Emirates, and Etihad airlines are implementing the IATA travel pass using blockchain technology.

What Now?

We learned that the federal government would not issue a national vaccine passport. States such as Florida, Texas, Idaho, and Iowa have banned the vaccine passport requirement.

This scenario is my fear, as I had shared back two months ago. It brings back memories of not having a unified patient ID number, and we have so many solutions on the market by big tech companies to prove identity and vaccination status. This debate will drag on along with the potential marketplace for big tech companies. Let’s see how it plays out in a few months.