In a digital era, it was disconcerting to see people filling out paper forms with details of their COVID vaccinations. Now a coalition of health and technology companies have created a Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI) committed to empowering individuals with digital access to their vaccination records based on open, interoperable standards.
Noting that the current vaccination record system does not readily support convenient access, control and sharing of verifiable vaccination records, the VCI coalition members are working to enable digital access to vaccination records using the open, interoperable SMART Health Cards specification, based on W3C Verifiable Credential and HL7 FHIR standards.
VCI’s vision is to empower individuals to obtain an encrypted digital copy of their immunization credentials to store in a digital wallet of their choice. Those without smartphones could receive paper printed with QR codes containing W3C-verifiable credentials.
“The goal of the Vaccination Credential Initiative 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 The Commons Project Foundation, in a statement. “Open standards and interoperability are at the heart of VCI's efforts and we look forward to supporting the World Health Organization and other global stakeholders in implementing and scaling open global standards for health data interoperability.”
“As we explore the many use cases for the vaccination credential, we are working to ensure that underserved populations have access to this verification,” said Brian Anderson, M.D., chief digital health physician at MITRE, in a statement. “Just as COVID-19 does not discriminate based on socio-economic status, we must ensure that convenient access to records crosses the digital divide.”
“Cerner is already providing tools to clinics, hospitals and other venues that provide healthcare to support the rapid COVID-19 vaccination process and ensure a safe, streamlined experience. This initiative will grow the standards around data exchange and help patients have access to and easily share verified vaccination information via their mobile device in situations where proof-of-vaccine is necessary,” said David Bradshaw, senior vice president of consumer and employer solutions at Cerner, in a statement.
