SPRINGFIELD – The state of Illinois now offers verification of vaccination status on your phone with a QR code, they announced Wednesday. The outline of the IDPH's new program appears similar to the QR system now used to track COVID patients in Communist China, where it is now "effectively compulsory."
From a Lex-Atlas story:
China is perhaps the first country to use tracking mechanisms through mobile phones and/or social media Apps such as WeChat and Alipay to track people’s movements or to stop people diagnosed of Covid-19 from travelling. It has now developed into a national Health QR Code System (Jiankang Ma). While an early study suggests that the health QR code had helped control the spread of Covid-19 in China, the effectively compulsory use of the QR code and the apparently unconstrained collection of personal information and data for the system have caused some major concerns about its potential for misuse or abuse at the expense of individual rights. Among these is a serious question concerning the protection of privacy in China, where a right balance between its protection and the need for safeguarding public health is yet to be established.
Illinois Review inquired of the IDPH their future plans for the system, and will update this story as they respond.
From the Department of Public Health's press release Wednesday:
New updates to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Vax Verify immunization portal now includes use of the SMART™ Health Card. The SMART™ Health Card allows users to download a QR code, which individuals can use to easily confirm a their COVID-19 vaccination status at businesses, events, and other locations. Vax Verify is an online system that allows Illinois residents 18 years and older to check their COVID-19 vaccination record. Vax Verify can be accessed at https://idphportal.illinois.gov.
“As a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and keep people safer, some businesses, events, organizations, and others are opting to require proof of vaccination before entering,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “We’ve seen multiple surges of COVID-19 and more and more people are making the choice to get vaccinated. The ability to download a QR code will help residents confirm their vaccination status when requested.”
The QR code can be downloaded or kept in Apple Wallet and presented for COVID-19 vaccination verification. Businesses wanting to verify vaccination status can download the Commons Project SMART Health Card Verifier App on Apple AppStore and Google Play store.
The verification system follows best practices to protect confidential health information. In order to download proof of vaccination, residents will go through a brief, one-time identity verification process to gain access to their immunization history.
After the verification process, individuals can see their own record in the Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange (I-CARE).
Immunization records are kept confidential and only the individual, or the individual’s parent or guardian if the individual is younger than 18 years, can access their vaccination history. Some individuals with very common names will need to take additional steps to securely prove their identities."
