Los Angeles is launching an iPhone digital disposal for COVID-19 vaccines, which could one day become a ‘vaccine passport’ that would be required for activities such as airline travel and live entertainment.
The plan to be released this week will see a Los Angeles County partner with tech company Healthvana to roll out the digital proofs, which can be placed in Apple Wallet or similar Android, Bloomberg said.
The project initially aims to ensure that people who get the first glimpse of the approved Pfizer or Moderna vaccines get the much needed boost, including through ongoing notifications.
But the digital receipt could also be used ‘to prove to airlines, to prove to schools, to prove to anyone in need,’ that someone has received the vaccine, Healthvana CEO Ramin Bastani told Bloomberg.
But critics fear it marks the emergence of a state of vaccine surveillance, where ‘digital passports’ are required for everything from flying a plane to going to the movies.
Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Elliot Ibanez, left, will receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine given by LAFD paramedic Anthony Kong on Monday. LA county to begin digital rollout of vaccine, raising expectations of new ‘vaccine passport’ system
The plan to be released this week will see a Los Angeles County partner with tech company Healthvana to deliver the digital proofs, which can be placed in Apple Wallet (stock photo)
LA vaccine receipts come as the county has emerged as the newest U.S. outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, surpassing 7,000 Covid hospitals for the first time Monday.
Health officials hope digital records will help streamline the two-step vaccination process, ensuring no doses are wasted on people who do not get the much-needed vision boost.
But privacy groups have warned of the potential impact of ‘data capture’ on medical information by government and private companies.
‘This moment of great hope cannot be seen with caution as there is still another data hold,’ advocacy group Privacy International said in a statement.
‘The use of vaccines, and in particular an’ immunization passport ‘or vaccine-related certificate, must respect human rights,’ the group said.
In May, the ACLU wrote: ‘Any protected passport system will jeopardize privacy rights by creating a new monitoring infrastructure to collect health data. It is one thing for an employee to voluntarily disclose their COVID-19 status to an employer on a one-time basis. But another reason is that information will be collected and held, either by the government or by private companies that offer protection certificates.
‘The existing legal framework may not be sufficient to prevent this information, especially if it is held by private organizations. ‘
A ‘vaccine passport’ system would also raise questions about what to do with people who have natural antibodies to the virus after an infection.
The vaccines currently given in the US are also not approved for anyone under the age of 16, due to the lack of clinical data for that age group, raising questions about how children would be treatment under a passport system.
Critics fear it marks the advent of a dystopian vaccine surveillance state, where digital ‘vaccine licenses’ are needed for everything from flying a plane to going to the movies.
And with vaccinations progressing much more slowly than the federal government had predicted, with just under two million views managed so far, the passport system is raising concerns about a bilateral association that excludes those who could not access the vaccine.
The ACLU wrote: ‘As embarrassing as a protective passport can be for policymakers seeking a speedy solution to resuming economic activity against widespread suffering from COVID-19 pandemics, they reflect both public health and civil rights concerns.
‘Immunization permits encourage vulnerable people to catch the disease, and raise the prospect of another ranking system, separating us into two categories – those with COVID-19 immunity, which have favorable access to employment, housing, or public accommodation – and those without.
‘This segregation could exacerbate the racial, disability and economic disparities that exist in America and force people to struggle to meet basic needs in order to risk it. Cheers.
Privacy International has stated: ‘In order for everyone to receive an effective vaccine, any system that requires a passport for admission or service will be unfair. Vaccination is a public health exercise, and cannot be a new discrimination. ‘
An ER employee received the vaccine for coronavirus last week in Los Angeles. The city is one of the first to offer digital proofing of vaccines
Australian airline Qantas has already announced that it will start requiring coronavirus scans for all passengers on their international flights.
Businesses such as live concert and sports venues, which are keen to bring people back to life as soon as possible, have also suggested that vaccination licenses could kick-start the economy, a step back until the pandemic is eradicated. time and time again.
Last month, Ticketmaster announced that they would be releasing an option within the digital ticketing app that would allow event organizers to have a recent vaccine confirmation or negative COVID test.
The company went back swiftly after looking back, issuing a statement clarifying ‘that there is no requirement from Ticketmaster ordering vaccines / testing for future events. ‘
Several companies are working on digital vaccine authentication systems, including IBM and Clear, a security company that uses biometric technology to verify the identity of people at airports.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is promoting a vaccine passport called the IATA Travel Pass, which is still being developed.
The system would let passengers know what tests, vaccines and other measures they need before they travel, and provide digital verification of tests and vaccines to airlines or other authorities.
Heath data is subject to strict rules under federal law, which the companies that pursue vaccine licenses say they comply with.
The collection of different recommendations has also raised concerns that vaccine testing systems used in one state or country may not be compatible with those elsewhere.
The Commons Project, in partnership with the World Economic Forum and a range of public and private partners, hopes to solve this problem with CommonPass, ‘a trusted, interactive platform across the world. universe. ‘
‘You can be tested every time you cross a border. You can’t get the vaccine every time you cross a border, ‘Thomas Crampton, chief marketing and communications officer for Project Commons, told CNN Business.
However, Ramin Bastani, CEO of Healthvana, expressed the doubt that there would be one ubiquitous vaccine testing service across the country.
‘It’s not going to be like one credit card that you can use across the US,’ he told Bloomberg. ‘Sometimes you can pay money, sometimes you can use your Apple Wallet.’