digital vaccination certificate will be the new norm

[kaninabuchaojibye]

Ubirch and IBM are awarded the contract for German digital vaccination certificate

The "secret competition" of the Ministry of Health for a digital vaccination certificate for Germany has been decided. The Cologne-based provider Ubirch relies on QR codes and blockchain verification. On board: IT giant IBM.

29 companies had been contacted by the Federal Ministry of Health, in the context of a "negotiation procedure without participation competition", which was initially also interpreted as a "secret competition". The best offer for digital vaccination detection for all those who are vaccinated against Covid-19 were sought. The offer deadline was just five days, seven companies participated. The Cologne-based company Ubirch (51 percent) with its blockchain-based system and IBM (49 percent) were now awarded the contract, as the SPIEGEL learned from Ubirch.


A digital vaccination certificate already exists in Israel. In China, certificates have been available since Monday via the online service WeChat, which display vaccinations and test results. The EU Commission wants to on the 17th March present a draft law for a "digital green passport", which contains information on corona vaccinations, Covid-19 diseases and negative tests, thereby facilitating the lifting of travel restrictions. The German solution should be compatible with the European specifications.


Technically, the Ubirch system works like this: Every vaccinated person receives a QR code in the vaccination center or at the family doctor - on a plastic card or a piece of paper, by mail or app. The QR code is an anonymous fingerprint that is generated from personal data such as the name and the information on the vaccination date, the vaccine used and a random number and is therefore not to be recalculated. It is cryptographically signed and stored in a total of five blockchains for reasons of redundancy.

When reading the QR code, for example when crossing the border or when accessing an event, the controlling person sees the name and the other data and can, if necessary, compare them with an identity card. In the background, however, the verification system only asks whether there is an entry matching the QR code in the blockchain of the Ubirch system. Personal data and vaccination data are not stored centrally in the system in this way.


According to Ubirch, the biggest advantages are, in addition to data protection, speed and counterfeit protection. Entries in the classic yellow vaccination certificate are often difficult to decipher and easy to forge. However, the security researcher and journalist Hanno Böck had succeeded in outwiting the Ubirch system with fake QR codes, albeit with certain restrictions. The problem should now be solved.


Runs in eight weeks
Ubirch CEO Stephan Noller told SPIEGEL: "I think it's cool that this time not just some established big-tech company delivers the solution, but a clever combination of big-tech and start-ups." Ubirch cooperates with Govdigital, a cooperative of 15 IT service providers from the federal states and municipalities as well as the Federal Printing House. Noller also regards the merger as a start-up, just as a "local one". Govdigital provides one of the blockchains used.


According to Noller, IBM will, among other things, develop further apps for the system and promote the connection of the system to the medical practices.

So far, the Ubirch system has only been used in two districts: Altötting in Upper Bavaria and in the Zollernalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg. According to the Ministry of Health, it should be operational nationwide within eight weeks.

According to the tender, the contract has a total volume of 2.7 million euros.

Note: In an earlier version of this article, it was stated that no personal data would be visible and matched when checking the QR code - for example, when crossing the border. That's not right, we have corrected the passage.

»Geheimwettbewerb« des Gesundheitsministeriums: Ubirch und IBM erhalten Zuschlag für digitalen Impfnachweis

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

ASEAN eyes digital vaccine certificate for post-COVID travel

asia.nikkei.com

SINGAPORE -- Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are weighing a digital coronavirus vaccine certificate as they aim to revive the region's ailing tourism sector.

Opening up travel to people who have been inoculated against COVID-19 could help resuscitate an intraregional market that counted more than 50 million annual visitor arrivals before the pandemic.

Representatives from the 10 countries discussed the idea of a common certificate during the two-day ASEAN Economic Ministers meeting that ended Wednesday, according to Azmin Ali, Malaysia's minister of international trade and industry.

The ministers "shared their national efforts on the vaccination program" and agreed on the need to "speed up the implementation of the vaccinations" to spur economic recoveries, he told reporters.

"The economic ministers also deliberated on the possibility of introducing a common digital vaccine certificate, especially to speed up the opening up of sectors most hard hit, such as the tourism industry."

In his remarks, Azmin also said the ministers discussed boosting trade and investment, and he urged countries to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade agreement the bloc concluded late last year with China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. "This will help re-engineer both demand and supply that would help boost recovery as well as further spur the growth of economies across the RCEP regions," he said.

He made no mention of the situation in Myanmar, after ASEAN foreign ministers held a special meeting on the crisis the previous day.

Singapore's trade and industry minister, Chan Chun Sing, said on Facebook that the economic discussions covered "efforts to further advance digital connectivity in the region, preserve supply chains on essential goods, and recognized the importance of ratifying" RCEP.

The idea of a digital coronavirus vaccine certificate refers to smartphone-based proof of inoculation. Other countries and regions have or are considering launching such certificates, often referred to as "vaccine passports."

Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, tweeted on Monday that the European Union would propose a "Digital Green Pass," proving that an individual had been vaccinated as well as showing test results for those who have been unable to get the jab just yet.

"The Digital Green Pass should facilitate Europeans' lives," she said. "The aim is to gradually enable them to move safely in the European Union or abroad -- for work or tourism."

Israel recently deployed a similar system to reopen its domestic economy -- with the passes allowing entry to leisure sites like gyms and theaters -- ahead of a possible expansion for travel use.

Many ASEAN member states have launched their vaccination campaigns, starting with health care workers and seniors. Singapore, for example, is expected to vaccinate all adults by September, while Indonesia plans to vaccinate 70% of its population by March 2022.

Tourism is a core industry for much of the ASEAN bloc. But it has been severely damaged by prolonged border closures, dragging down the regional economy. Thailand's gross domestic product shrank 6.1% in 2020, while Singapore's dropped 5.4%.

According to data from the ASEAN Secretariat, the 51 million intra-region visitor arrivals recorded in 2019 accounted for 36% of the bloc's total. Besides tourism, countries' close economic ties mean companies have multiple offices throughout the region, creating demand for business travel.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

China launches COVID-19 vaccination certificates for cross-border travel

www.reuters.com

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has launched a digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate for its citizens planning cross-border travels, joining other countries issuing similar documents as they seek ways to reopen their economies.

As vaccines are globally being rolled out, a few countries, including Bahrain, have already introduced certificates identifying vaccinated people and the European Union agreed to develop vaccine passports under pressure from tourism-dependent southern countries.

The certificate issued by China would have details about the holder’s COVID-19 vaccination information and coronavirus test results, the Department of Consular Affairs under China’s foreign ministry said on its website.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday the aim of the certificate was to achieve mutual verification of information such as nucleic acid testing and vaccination, and contribute to safe and orderly interaction of people.

It was not immediately clear with which countries China was talking to about getting its COVID-19 certificate recognised.

China has not yet announced any relaxation of quarantine restrictions for people arriving in China who are vaccinated against COVID-19.

The country’s health authorities were studying issues including whether vaccinated travellers to China could be exempted from 14 days of quarantine, the state-owned Global Times reported on Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Tony Munroe; Editing by Miyoung Kim, Michael Perry and Alex Richardson

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

www.mobihealthnews.com
Bahrain launches digital COVID-19 'vaccine passport'

The Kingdom of Bahrain has become one of the first countries in the world to launch a digital COVID-19 “vaccine passport”.

According to a government press statement, the country’s BeAware app – which was launched at the onset of the pandemic to facilitate contact tracing, and currently also manages digital vaccine bookings – will function as the passport. The app will be able to confirm an individual’s immunity status via a green “COVID-19 Vaccinated” shield, accompanied by an official certificate with the account holder’s name, date of birth, nationality, and vaccine type selected.

Authorities are able to verify shield validity by scanning a QR code that links to the country’s national vaccine register. However, while the passport is recognised in the Kingdom, it is unclear whether it can be accepted as proof of vaccination when visiting other countries.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

In order to obtain the shield and digital certificate, an individual must have received two doses of the vaccine, with 21 days in-between each dose. They then must wait for at least 14 days following the second dose for antibodies to begin developing.
Bahrain’s latest announcement comes just over a month since it became the first country in the world to allow vaccine appointment via mobile app. All citizens and residents are free to book at any time and choose one of four vaccines currently available: Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca or Sputnik V.

Earlier this week, the country’s National Medical Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (COVID-19) announced new measures for travellers arriving in Bahrain. Starting 22 February, all travellers – who already take COVID-19 PCR tests on arrival – are required to undergo an additional test on the fifth day after arrival. Those staying in Bahrain for more than ten days are required to take a third PCR test on the tenth day of stay. Tests are to be booked via the BeAware app.

Waleed Khalifa Al Manea, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health and member of the taskforce, highlighted the importance of remaining vigilant “in light of the prevalence of the highly contagious variant COVID-19 strain.”

He said that: “despite relentless contact tracing efforts, there has been a rise in active cases and it is a shared responsibility to ensure communities are safeguarded from the virus.”

ON THE RECORD

“COVID-19 measures are periodically reviewed in order to minimise risk and protect the community, and that the Kingdom remains committed to safeguarding the health and safety of all in the community,” stated Al Manea.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

Denmark and Sweden to issue digital vaccine certificates

www.computerweekly.com

ByKarl Flinders, Emea Content Editor, Computer Weekly

Published: 05 Feb 2021 10:45

Sweden and Denmark have announced plans to develop digital certificates to prove that citizens have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Organisations across APAC are harnessing data analytics to predict customer demand and improve business outcomes. However, data without a clear company-wide objective is a recipe for failure. Read more in this e-guide.

Countries across Europe are working on plans to make it easier for people that have been vaccinated to prove it. This will enable economies, stalled by the restrictions brought in to reduce the spread of Covid-19, to restart.

The Nordic countries want to restart travel and possibly more, such as allowing people to attend events, with digital vaccine passports – as they are often known – seen as a way of enabling this safely.

Sweden hopes to have the digital certificates in place by June. Its minister for digital development, Anders Ygeman, said: “With a digital vaccine certificate, it will be quick and easy to prove a completed vaccination.”

A day earlier, Nordic neighbour Denmark announced a similar plan, and said the certificates could “contribute to a gradual, sound and appropriate reopening of Denmark”.

“It is absolutely crucial, for us to be able to restart Danish society, that companies can get back on track,” said acting finance minister Morten Bodskov. “[The certificate] will be the extra passport that you will be able to have on your mobile phone that documents that you have been vaccinated.” The mobile phone is the perfect medium because most people carry mobile phones when on the move.

With borders closed and global travel still off the agenda, vaccine passports could become a critical component of the hoped-for return to normal life – but their use must be balanced with user privacy.

In January, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, supported the idea of vaccine certificate. “Whether that gives a priority or access to certain goods, this is a political and legal decision that has to be discussed on the European level,” she said.

A spokesperson for the European Commission said the matter of vaccine certificates had been “discussed at the last European council meeting between the heads of state and government, and it was concluded that the work on a standardised, interoperable form of proof of vaccination for medical purposes should continue”.

A new coalition of health and technology industry bodies – including Microsoft, Oracle and Salesforce – was recently established to develop a standardised model for organisations administering Covid-19 vaccinations to make credentials available in an “accessible, interoperable and digital” format.

The Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI), as it is known, said vaccination record systems currently in use do not readily support convenient access, control and sharing of verifiable vaccination records.

The VCI said it is “committed to empowering individuals with digital access to their vaccination records based on open, interoperable standards”.

“The goal of the VCI is to empower individuals with digital access to their vaccination records so they can use tools like CommonPass to safely return to travel, work, school and life, while protecting their data privacy,” said Paul Meyer, CEO of VCI and member of the Commons Project Foundation.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

COVID-19: Are digital health passports a good idea?
by Umberto Bacchi | @UmbertoBacchi | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tuesday, 9 March 2021 12:20 GMT

Security officers are seen at the passport control point at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport in Abuja, Nigeria September 7, 2020. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde


Digital tools to certify immunity from COVID-19 could help ease lockdowns, but raise equality and privacy concerns
By Umberto Bacchi

Mar 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) –China has launched a digital coronavirus vaccination passport for its citizens planning cross-border travels, joining other countries issuing similar documents as they seek ways to reopen their economies.

As vaccines are globally being rolled out, a few countries including Bahrain have already introduced certificates identifying vaccinated people, and the EU agreed to develop vaccine passports under pressure from tourism-dependent southern countries.

Proponents say identifying people who are immune to the novel coronavirus or at lower risk of spreading it could help open up travel and other services. But critics have raised concerns over privacy, health and discrimination.

As more technology firms develop digital certificates that can be accessed on smartphones by employers, airlines and others, here is all you need to know about health passports.

WHAT ARE HEALTH PASSPORTS?

The term health passport, or health pass, generally refers to documents - in paper or digital format - that certify a person is unlikely to either catch or spread a disease.
With the novel coronavirus, the proposed certificates would attest one of three things: that the holder has been vaccinated, has tested negative for the virus or has recovered from it.

Their use could allow governments to lift some pandemic-induced restrictions, allowing people to travel in planes, attend concerts, go to work or dine out, supporters say.

"We've tried many different solutions to properly and safely reopen hospitality, sport venues and other things that are very important, not just for our economy, but also for mental wellbeing of people," said Ryan Wain, an advisor at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a British think tank.

"And really, the only way that we can properly get those open is knowing that people entering those venues don't have COVID," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview.

FILE PHOTO: Passengers wearing hazmat suits for protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walk inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Paranaque, Metro Manila, Philippines, January 14, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo

WHERE ARE THEY BEING USED?

Different health passes have been trialled by governments and firms around the world in recent months.

Tech giants including Microsoft Corp , Oracle Corp and healthcare companies Cigna Corp and Mayo Clinic in January joined a coalition pushing for digital records of people who get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The project, called Vaccination Credential Initiative, aims to help people get encrypted digital copies of their immunization records stored in a digital wallet of their choice.

Bahrain launched a digital COVID-19 vaccine passport in February, one of the first countries to do so. Sweden plans to launch a vaccine passport by summer.
Last October, Estonia and the World Health Organization started a pilot for a digital vaccine certificate.

Meanwhile, China has put in place an app-based health code system that uses travel and medical data to give people a red, yellow or green rating indicating the likelihood of them having the virus - and whether or not they can walk around freely.

Israel has said it plans to issue a "green passport" to those who have been vaccinated, which will grant them easy access to restaurants and cultural events, and exempt them from quarantine rules or getting a virus test before travel. Last April, Chile said it would issue certificates to people who recovered from the virus.
And in India, everyone who has been vaccinated will get a QR code-based electronic certificate, the health ministry has said.

At a smaller scale, the University of Illinois has made access to campus buildings dependent on negative tests, and a number of airlines have started trialling a digital health pass to verify tests taken in different countries.

The International Air Transport Association, the lobby group of the world's airlines, said it would launch a digital health travel pass in 2021 that will include passengers' COVID-19 vaccination data.

British Airways has said it would trial a mobile health app that combines travel verification documents and COVID-19 test results to ensure passengers are compliant with destination entry requirements.

The app is already being used by American Airlines.

FILE PHOTO: A Boeing plane sits on the tarmac at the Boeing South Carolina Plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States March 25, 2018. REUTERS/Randall Hill/File Photo

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CONCERNS?

Health passes have raised a number of public health and privacy concerns.
Legal and health experts have warned that so-called immunity passports, which would allow greater freedom to those who have recovered from the virus, could push people to try to catch the disease in the hopes of making themselves immune.

The passports' scientific grounding has also been called into question, as it is still not clear whether people who recover from COVID-19 are protected from a second infection - or, if they are, for how long.

Passes based on negative test results have a short shelf life, as people can catch the virus any time after taking the test, said Alexandra Phelan, an infectious disease expert at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

The passes also rely on wide access to rapid testing, she added.

Phelan noted that vaccination certificates are already regulated by international law, which allows countries to require from travellers proof of vaccination for diseases such as yellow fever or polio as a condition of entry.

But extending the system to COVID-19 might face some hurdles, as governments have to agree on which of the several vaccines in the pipeline they would accept, she said.

With researchers warning that it might take years to get everyone a shot as rich nations buy up more than half of the available stock, linking travel to a vaccination could also leave a large part of the world grounded, Phelan added.

"We risk a situation where only wealthy countries have had access to the vaccine that is accepted for travel. And they're the only ones travelling," she said.

A Bahraini woman shows her vaccination certificate after she received dose of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, at Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre (BIECC), in Manama, Bahrain December 24, 2020. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

WHY DIGITAL AND NOT PAPER?

Certificates could in theory be paper-based or digital, but trials have largely focused on digital solutions.

Inequitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine could incentivise people to falsify papers, said Phelan.

And paper documents are inherently easier to forge, added Nick Page, product director at Onfido, a British tech company working on health passports.

But apps and other digital solutions combining health data and identification could exclude large numbers of people who do not own a smartphone, while also raising privacy concerns, said Tom Fisher, a researcher at nonprofit Privacy International.
"Digital identity solutions leave us open to data exploitation, with the valuable data from these solutions (being) used for other purposes," he said in an emailed statement.

This article was updated on Tuesday, 9 March 2021 to include information about China's vaccine passport

 

[tanwahtiu]

Trouble ahead. Black market digiCert following next.

The list of other airborne and surface bacteria and virus will follows.

Flu.
STD.
Cunt juice...

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

Its inevitable, but what happens to the non-vaccinated? that's the issue

everyone has a choice to take or not to take.
so let's respect each other's choice.
i choose to take, i balance my risk, lifestyle, needs, wants and decide accordingly.
the same for those who doesn't want to take the jab. they have their own individual concerns.
all reasonable.
just make an informed decision, that's all.
dont think there's a right or wrong answer in this. it isn't math.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

Its inevitable, but what happens to the non-vaccinated? that's the issue

govts have their own agenda and propaganda
anti vaxxers have their own agenda and propaganda
listen to both sides
weigh the risk against personal health, needs, lifestyle requirements, etc etc...i am sure one can come to an informed decision whether to vax or not.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

Its inevitable, but what happens to the non-vaccinated? that's the issue

if a person is a hermit, just staying in sinkypura for the rest of his life, doesn't socialise much, life consists of hiding in one's own home, buy food at food centre with not much interaction with other humans, then by all means don't Vax. it's absolutely reasonable to do so. the risk of him catching covid is low or none. he has no reason to Vax and take a calculated Vax risk.

 

[bobby]

Got Indian digital cert...can trust ?

 

[laksaboy]

if a person is a hermit, just staying in sinkypura for the rest of his life, doesn't socialise much, life consists of hiding in one's own home, buy food at food centre with not much interaction with other humans, then by all means don't Vax. it's absolutely reasonable to do so. the risk of him catching covid is low or none. he has no reason to Vax and take a calculated Vax risk.

Alternatively, the pandemic is officially over and such silly restrictions no longer apply.

Everyone is clamouring to be the first widely adopted health passport standard because data is worth its weight in gold.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

Alternatively, the pandemic is officially over and such silly restrictions no longer apply.

Everyone is clamouring to be the first widely adopted health passport standard because data is worth its weight in gold.

it's your choice
cut the bullshit propaganda of gold or what shit
no one putting a gun on yr head and force u to vax or not to vax
there's no need to even argue
personal choice personal decision based on personal health personal lifestyle and personal needs
if a person isn't travelling in the next few years and staying only in sinkypura with limited interactions with others, the risk of vax vs non vax is clear-cut... don't vax pls. save the vax for others who needs it.
i dont buy the shit about vaxing to save others or the people around us
i choose to vax to save myself because the risk of not vaxxing is higher based on my personal needs and personal lifestyle
as simple as that.

 

[eatshitndie]

 

[mojito]

Contract value only 2.7 million euro? Haha aiya our one covered walk way project more than that all ready!

 

[tiongsrshit]

tiong will take the info and use for tiong database, worldwide surveillance system