A ‘vaccine passport’ trial will take place in the upcoming months.
To bring you up to speed – there are now three approved Covid-19 vaccines, a ‘vaccine patch’ in development and ‘vaccine passports’ in the works too. Thousands of Brits who have already received a Covid vaccination will soon be able to take part in a ‘vaccine passport’ trial. Just to clarify, this is not the traditional passport you may be thinking off, but a free app developed by biometrics company, iProov and cybersecurity firm, Mvine. This will allow people to digitally prove that they’ve received the first or second dose of the vaccine – or simply no vaccine at all.
SEE ALSO: Asda Will Become The First Supermarket To Offer The Covid-19 Vaccines In Store
The app will also help the NHS and the government keep track of the infection rates as the mass rollout continues. According to iProov manager, Andrew Bud, “We’re talking about a piece of remarkable technology that can be brought to bear and can be readily integrated with the NHS.”
While the Department for Health previously denied claims of any trial involving these vaccine passports, it has now come to light that the government’s science and research funding agency, Innovate UK, has already spent £75,000 on the project. If the trial is successful, the app will likely be issued to millions of people across the UK in the latter months of the year.
A spokesman for the Department for Health said “As large numbers of people from at risk groups are vaccinated, we will be able to gather the evidence to prove the impact on infection rates, hospitalisation and reduced deaths. If successful, this should in time lead to a reassessment of current restrictions.”