Author: Louise Pieterse
Last update: August 20th, 2021.
Many US states have outlawed vaccine passports but the SMART Health Card is being rolled out across the country with help from the private sector.
Technology from the Boston Children’s Hospital was used to create the SMART Health Card, all thanks to innovation from the Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI).
VCI is a consortium of key players in the tech and healthcare space and includes major corporations like Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, company MITRE, and the Mayo Clinic.
What is a SMART Health Card?
The SMART Health Card is a digital or printed QR code that provides proof of vaccination or shows recent test results.
The only information displayed on the card is the holder’s name and date of birth as well as clinical information related to the vaccine and test. This includes the date, manufacturer, and result of a test and the date, type, and location of a vaccination.
It is scanned by the SMART Health Card Verification App which will display either red, orange, or green, depending on the validity of a person’s card.
Where can I get a SMART Health Card?
SMART Health Cards are only available in certain states including New York, California, and Louisiana for those who got vaccinated at state-run sites.
People who got vaccinated at private clinics and pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart will receive a code through those companies.
“We’ve got most of the big pharmacy chains, all of the key health systems. Several states have agreed to adopt this particular standard” says JP Pollak from The Commons Project, one of the companies involved with VCI.
The cards will be automatically provided by the health care providers but can also be requested through their websites.
It is saved on Google Pay or an Apple Wallet and Pollak has confirmed that more than 100 million Americans will have access to the card by the fall.
What can I do with a SMART Health Card?
SMART Health Cards are used as verification by a number of bars, restaurants, sporting events, and other businesses.
Their use is expected to spread across the country as the fourth wave of COVID-19 shows no signs of subsiding.
Industry giants like Facebook, Google, Netflix, and United Airlines have announced that they will require their employees to be vaccinated. SMART Health Cards could be a standardized way to verify employees’ status.
Massachusetts governor, Charlie Baker, has announced that there will be a vaccine mandate for those working at nursing homes. UMass Memorial Health also requires staff to be vaccinated.
New York and California have also made vaccination or weekly testing mandatory for state workers, as well as for municipal workers in New York.
Countless universities and colleges have also started to require routine testing or vaccination for students to attend class in the fall.
The SMART Card is not standardized internationally like the EU Digital COVID Certificate. This means that it will not allow US citizens the privilege of unrestricted travel.