Traveling in times of the corona pandemic is what the digital vaccination certificate should enable people to do after they have received vaccinations. When should he come?
Frankfurt – The corona pandemic has thwarted many people’s travel plans through the vacation bills. As the vaccination campaign progresses, however, a light is emerging at the end of the tunnel. Many people therefore scratch their hooves in order to finally plan their next trip abroad and, above all, to be able to tackle it. The digital vaccination certificate is repeatedly traded as a measure that could enable carefree travel even in times of Corona. This vaccination card could be available for the smartphone in just a few weeks.
The current yellow paper vaccination certificate has been criticized for some time. However, the coronavirus reopened this debate. After all, millions of people in Germany are preparing for their corona vaccination. This is often combined with the desperate search for the yellow – often completely tattered – vaccination certificate, which in many cases is lost in the depths of some drawer in the household. The demands for a digital and forgery-proof solution became louder and louder.
With the help of the digital vaccination card, all information about a person’s individual vaccination protection should then be saved very easily via a smartphone app and can be called up by the respective owner as required. The time of the vaccination and the administered corona vaccine are also noted, according to the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).
Traveling despite the corona pandemic – how does the digital vaccination certificate work?
But how exactly should the digital vaccination pass work with regard to the corona vaccination? After the vaccination, the vaccinated will receive a certificate in the form of a QR code on a paper printout. This code can be scanned in directly with the smartphone and stored in a free app specially developed for this purpose. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, however, the barcode can only be read once. The vaccination certificate is saved locally on the smartphone and is linked to the device used. The procedure should be the same for vaccinations in general practitioners’ practices as well as in vaccination centers. As the portal wa.de reports, the code should also be able to be entered in the latest version of the Corona warning app.
People who have received their second vaccination dose and thus complete vaccination protection can save themselves some corona requirements by showing the corresponding certificates in the smartphone version of the vaccination card. For example, they no longer have to test or quarantine after a trip. There is also no obligation to present a negative corona test when shopping or at the hairdresser’s. Important: The corresponding certificate can then also be created retrospectively for vaccinations that have already been carried out.
Digital vaccination pass – how is the information about the corona vaccination checked?
But how is the vaccination certificate checked, for example when returning from a trip? The app generates proof of the vaccination, which can be checked by any service providers and authorities using another test app. In addition to information about the vaccination status, the proof also contains the name and date of birth of the vaccinated person. The app also enables the creation of a 2D barcode, which can be easily scanned in during a review, according to the ministry.
When creating a digital vaccination pass, it is also important that it is forgery-proof. The reason for this is also provided by reports of forgeries of the yellow paper vaccination card. In the future, photo ID should always be presented when checking the vaccination data. In any case, the vaccination certificate can still be issued in digital form by authorized persons in vaccination centers, medical practices or hospitals. “The digital vaccination certificate is cryptographically protected against changes and at the same time linked to a smartphone, so that there is also the most comprehensive protection possible against duplication,” the BMG announced. According to wa.de, however, experts warn against possible falsification of vaccination certificates. Also due to the sometimes weak IT infrastructure in the general practitioners’ practices.
Traveling in times of the corona pandemic: when will the digital vaccination certificate come?
Everyone who is entitled to a vaccination can have a digital vaccination card issued. However, there will be no obligation in Germany to manage the information about the corona vaccination in digital form. The digital vaccination certificate will therefore be a voluntary offer and will be valid in addition to the “yellow booklet”. This is necessary because not everyone in Germany also has a smartphone.
When exactly the digital vaccination certificate will be introduced and thus possibly also enable travel for people who have already been vaccinated has not yet been conclusively clarified. The Federal Ministry of Health around Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) was already aiming for the “end of the second quarter of 2021” as a possible start date. The tones on the part of the federal government, which was considering the “second half of 2021”, were somewhat more cautious. One thing is certain: especially with regard to the big summer holidays, which in some federal states already start at the end of June, the time pressure is particularly great.
Despite the heated discussion about the long-awaited digital vaccination certificate, this could ultimately only be a temporary solution. Because from 2022, digital vaccination certificates will be part of the electronic patient record (ePA). This is intended to further advance the networking of the health system in digital form. All information about the corona vaccination could then be easily accessed via anyone’s electronic health card. (Yannick Wenig)
List of rubric lists: © Imago / Sven Simon
