New York Launched the First US Vaccine Passport

As many are getting vaccinated in the US, New York announced the first US vaccine passport. New Yorkers will now be able to show proof that they’ve been vaccinated. They can have a printout or pull out their phone to show their certification.

The first US vaccine passport is called the Excelsior Pass. This will be used in venues like Madison Square Garden. And by next week, this can be used in some events within the state. This COVID vaccine passport will also allow individuals to increase the size of their wedding party or other events.

The app was spearheaded by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Its primary goal is to support industries greatly affected by the pandemic. It is funded by the state of New York and is available for free to anyone who either has a vaccine record or test results in the state.

This will function similarly to a boarding pass. The individual’s health status will be read using a QR code machine. The data will be coming from New York’s vaccine registry and is linked to testing data from different testing companies.

Blockchain Technology Used on NY’s Vaccine Passport

The vaccine passport was developed by IBM using Blockchain technology. This means that no one can tamper with the data. This is one of the first of possibly many vaccine passports. And also, IBM made the code open-source, which means that it can be used for free by other businesses.

However, the biggest challenge moving forward is how to link these systems. The European Union has been trying its best to have a unified COVID vaccine passport to restart travel. Another challenge is that it could alienate people who haven’t been vaccinated yet. Given the resistance of many Americans to wearing masks, the same can be said with people who are still not yet decided whether or not they are going to get vaccinated.