The pandemic has brought us a whole series of challenges that have gone beyond those caused by the disease itself. As far as technology is concerned, we have seen such incredible things as Apple and Google working hand in hand to develop tools for tracking and monitoring possible infections, information on incidents accumulated in map apps, and now we come to the timing of vaccination.
It seems that there is consensus around the world that mobility in the coming years will depend on travelers being able to demonstrate that they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. And for that reason, Google has thought that it would be a good idea to standardize this document so that everyone who has an Android smartphone can carry it stored in the palm of their hand in a safe and accessible way.
Google updated its pay app Passes API, allowing a digital certification to be stored and displayed in a simple way, showing the details of testing and vaccination against covid-19 of Android users.
The tech giant has granted API access to healthcare organizations, government agencies, and organizations authorized by public health authorities to distribute COVID vaccines. With that in mind, the Mountain Viewers have developed their own alternative to the vaccination cards. It is being issued by some governments and public agencies in such a way that it is possible to add them to the phone easily. In it, your name will appear, and the data of the doses that they have given you, the dates, and of course, which of the vaccines they have injected you.
At the moment, this initiative by Google is limited to the USA and with an eye to other countries if health care providers and public administrations want to collaborate with this standard. It would allow all users to carry that relevant information without the need of having to download an application or anything. It would be a section within the operating system itself where this confidential information would be contained.