California has rolled out a new way to verify the COVID-19 vaccination digitally. According to the Department of Public Health and Technology which released the website, people could now use it for verification if they want to keep a digital copy of the vaccination record.
Somehow, it is often compared to the vaccine passport, but Gavin Newsom, the state governor, stated that it is different from what we think about it.
California Launches Special Portal for Vaccination Records
Preserving the people's records when it comes to vaccination now comes digitally thanks to the newly-made Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record portal. This serves as an online backup of the information released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for those who have already been vaccinated according to California's chief information officer, Amy Tong.
During the press call, Tong said that it would provide Californians an efficient way to save and keep track of their vaccine records. Moreover, it would replace the usual card, and if they want CDC's digital version of it, they could utilize it.
Furthermore, Tong added that there's no need to bring a CDC card if the person does not want it. Instead, they could easily save their records on the website through a screenshot.
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Governor Gavin Newsom's Say About its Likeness to Vaccine Passport
For others, the appearance of the digital vaccine verification would mean its resemblance to the usual vaccine passport that we know. We are aware that establishments could use it to determine the vaccinated individuals from the unvaccinated ones, NBC News reported on Saturday, June 19.
In the case of a big event, California has a mandatory confirmation among business undertakings, especially indoor events. Before the person enters the area, he/she should be negative from the coronavirus test.
Currently, the Biden administration said that they are not planning to release a national vaccine passport. The United States will continue to stick with the CDC cards for the COVID-19 vaccination verification of the citizens.
However, not all states in the US share the same perspective when it comes to digital COVID-19 records. Texas, Arizona, and Texas are some of them which curtail the use of vaccine passports.
In the case of New York, there is an app called Excelsior pass which is linked to the vaccination database of the state. Through this application, the individuals in the area can have a clear verification for their pass to access major events similar to what a vax passport can do.
"This is very similar in concept to what New York launched with Excelsior Pass, which is an opportunity for a resident, in our case the state of California, to have a digital copy of their vaccination record," Rick Klau, the state's chief technology innovation officer said.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
