Paper beats app: Vaccine verification will likely be proven offline. Here's why.: It's an intuitive idea: an app that provides proof that a person has received a coronavirus vaccine.
Plenty of technologists are working to make it a reality. Companies of all sizes have been pouring in resources: Microsoft, major airlines, Ticketmaster, prominent nonprofits, security companies, tech startups and blockchain companies are all taking hacks at what some call vaccine passports. Apple and Google have participated in discussions about how to create digital Covid-19 vaccine certificates, experts said, but they haven't announced plans.
But behind the scenes, the realities of medical records, privacy concerns and the virus itself mean such products are unlikely to be widely available in the coming months, experts said.
"This is something that almost no one can focus on right now," said Rebecca Coyle, executive director of the American Immunization Registry Association, a membership organization for state and local vaccine registries. She said digital Covid-19 certificates may seem like "a nice shiny object" but might not be a reality for many months.
