White House working with private companies to develop COVID passport
According to a report, the Biden administration is working with the private sector to develop a COVID vaccine passport for Americans inoculated against the virus.
The effort to develop standard credentials gained steam when the plan of vaccination began being carried out, aiming for a return to normalcy starting this summer and as companies – from cruise lines to sports teams – will require proof of vaccination before opening again.
Agencies inside the Department of Health and Human Services have been running point on the initiative with private businesses while the White House has taken a larger role led by coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients to coordinate the work of a variety of government departments.
Showing proof “may be a critical driver for restoring baseline population health and promoting safe return to social, commercial, and leisure activities, cited slides prepared earlier this month by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
But officials – including representatives from the departments of health, defence, homeland security and even NASA – cautioned about the “confusing array” of efforts to create the credentials.
New York has already launched the “Excelsior Pass,” an app that will allow residents of the state to prove they’ve received the vaccination or tested negative for the coronavirus to gain entry to events and businesses.
