Vaccine Passport could be on Phones by December

COVID-19 vaccines could be administered at leading retail locations under a suggestion raised at talks between the Federal Government and business leaders.

With the Federal Government understood to be developing an app that will contain vaccination details of Australians as part of moves to enable the eventual return of international travel, the Federal Government is reportedly aiming to have it available for iPhone and Android users by December this year.

As reported by Executive Traveller, as well as providing real-time access to Covid-related information, the app will also store immunisation data against other diseases, including yellow fever, as well as allergy alerts and organ donation status.

The app should be able to plug into external systems, which could make it possible for interaction with health databases overseas. That would be useful when Australians seek to enter other countries when international travel resumes.

The tender offer called by the government “specify that the mobile application will display an animated tick (such as red, amber, green) to indicate the user’s status, as well as ‘multiple authenticity and anti-fraud measures’.”

Last week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said vaccine passports would be introduced as part of the Federal Government’s four-step plan out of COVID lockdowns.

The concept builds on the vaccination certificate information that is already available through MyGov and Medicare.

On Friday, Prime Minister Morrison advised “we will recognise and adopt the Commonwealth’s existing digital Medicare vaccination certificate that is automatically generated for every vaccination.

“That is something that is already there now. By the end of the month, it will be at another level which would see it being able to be incorporated in things like Apple Wallets and the like. We will put in place a digital vaccination authentication at the border.”

Vaccine passports have been touted as the key to unlocking global travel by ensuring travellers crossing borders aren’t COVID-19 risks, and a number of forms of digital documents are in development.

The Federal Government has previously been in talks with the global aviation body, the International Air Transport Association, about potentially using its Travel Pass health app and platform.

In February, Air New Zealand said the IATA’s Travel Pass would be trialled by volunteer passengers on flights between Auckland and Sydney when the trans-Tasman travel bubble opened.

British Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Etihad, and Qatar Airways have previously flagged trials of the IATA health check system.

Image credit: Joe Cusmano.