While the holidays this year have been a little darker in the shadow of a global pandemic, there is a growing amount of optimism about the near future. The source of that optimism is the COVID-19 vaccine.
Some countries have already begun to administer early-stage vaccines to their populations due to emergency circumstances. Governments around the world are now in the process of trying to distribute finite amounts of vaccines to millions and millions of people. One day, you might be able to secure your health during the administration of a vaccine, however, the best method now is through a digital health passport.
The Status of COVID-19 Vaccines
Even though countries are beginning to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, no pharmaceutical company or research group has completed the necessary amount of testing to guarantee 95% effectiveness. This is the benchmark that almost all vaccine manufacturers are trying to achieve. But what does effectiveness mean with regards to a vaccine?
Vaccine efficacy refers to how well it protects vaccinated individuals from developing ‘severe’ conditions related to the virus in question. This is not a matter of immunization, per se. A vaccinated person can still contract the coronavirus, but they have added protection. The Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency in the U.K. approved the use of the Pfizer BioNTech Vaccine because it offered significant protection for older people and those most at risk of dying from the disease. This U.K. agency also brought attention to the vaccine’s 95% effectiveness as the major sign of legitimacy.
Pfizer isn’t the only vaccine developer that is making serious strides in testing. Moderna’s recent November trials showed that no recipient of the vaccine developed ‘severe’ COVID-19 symptoms. That is incredibly promising news. That said, this and the Pfizer vaccine are still in experimental stages despite more and more evidence of its effectiveness. The 100% efficacy rate against severe diseases resulting from the virus is the most promising part of the vaccine. This is made more impressive by the tragic results of the placebo recipients. 30 of the individuals placed in the placebo group developed severe diseases, one of which even led to a person’s death. But this is why testing is so important.
Tracking and Administering Vaccinations
As great as the vaccine launches are, there are still a lot of questions that are still unanswered. The biggest question is, who is going to get the vaccine first? And when is everyone else going to get it? And, of course, how? The uncertainty is the greatest issue with regards to vaccines. Outside of approved vaccine development trackers, it is unclear as to how and when countries and companies are going to approach the vaccine’s distribution and administration.
This brings up the greatest question regarding a COVID-19 vaccine: how will we be able to monitor who has been vaccinated? Businesses won’t be able to offer services and privileges to certain employees if they can’t track who has been vaccinated. CEOs of companies like Qantas have already stated that proof of vaccination will be mandatory to fly internationally. This is a reality that many corporations and HR leaders are quickly having to address. How do you track the vaccination statuses of employees and customers? The answer might be a digital health passport.
The Importance of a Digital Health Passport
Health passports aren’t a new concept. During the peaks of the 1960’s yellow fever epidemic, the World Health Organization instituted the concept of the aptly named Yellow Card. This was a form of international travel document that proved whether or not you had been vaccinated. Carrying around a physical card in a world where we have cloud-based networks and smartphones makes no sense. That is why people like Eric Piscini, current vice president at IBM, said that a digital health passport might be the key to restarting the economy.
CovidPreCheck is one of the few health tracking apps that offer a digital health passport with both vaccine status and COVID-19 status. By using the CovidPreCheck App, companies can safely reintegrate their employees and customers without having to compromise their safety and privacy. Visit the app page today to learn more about how CovidPreCheck can help save your business.
