Major global tech firms such as Microsoft and Oracle are working with US-based healthcare providers to create a new virtual Covid passport system.
We're now around a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, and travel restrictions have been put in place all around the world for even essential travel. Many countries now require proof of a recent negative Covid test before you can board a flight, and some are enforcing mandatory quarantines of up to 14 days on arrival.
Things are expected to get easier throughout 2021 as vaccination programmes roll throughout the year, and millions of people worldwide are looking forward to their first holidays in a long time or travelling to meet up with family they may not have seen all year.
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Each country is handling its vaccination programme slightly differently, but most are issuing some kind of card or document that acts as proof of vaccination. Airlines may come to rely on proof of vaccination and recent negative test results in order to approve people for travel in the near future, so a global digital Covid-19 passport system will be necessary.
Financial Times reports that a coalition of global tech firms and healthcare companies, including Microsoft, Orance, and US healthcare non-profit Mayo Clinic, is now working toward creating such a system. The Vaccination Credential Initiative aims to develop an internationally accepted digital certificate travellers can present to prove they have tested negative for Covid-19.
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The system's primary use will be for airlines and border agencies assessing the entry requirements of various countries, but it could be used for much more. It could be used by companies to determine who can return to the office and who should work remotely, and could be used by healthcare officials to assess risk levels in geographical areas.
The UK government has said that a decision on vaccination passports will need to wait until more complete evidence is available on how well vaccination prevents transmission of the virus. At this time, it's still not clear whether people vaccinated against Covid-19 can still spread the virus or whether the vaccine just prevents the illness from becoming serious.
Source: Financial Times
