UK to use health service app as vaccine passport

Britain plans to use a National Health Service phone app as its COVID-19 ‘vaccine passport’ certificate that will allow its population to travel internationally this summer, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Wednesday. Countries around the world are looking at a host of options that will serve as proof of COVID-19 vaccinations to allow travel, though airports, border agencies and airlines are worried there will be no clear global standard that will be accepted at all borders. So-called vaccine passports could range from a digital certificate with a scannable QR code in the European Union, to a National Health Service (NHS) phone app in the United Kingdom, or a humble piece of paper in some other countries. Besides concerns over issuance, forgery and the repeated failure of government-backed technology projects, it was still unclear how such documents would be received by notoriously zealous border guards across the world. “In terms of vaccine certification, I can confirm... it will be an NHS app that is used for people when they book appointments with the NHS and so on to be able to show that you’ve had a vaccine or that you’ve had testing,” Transport Secretary Shapps said.<br/>