Technology experts have decided to make vaccination bracelets that will easily tell others that a person has already been vaccinated.
With more than 114 million Americans or almost 35% of the population in the US have already been vaccinated, it is not easy to recognize a vaccinated person except with their vaccine cards.
Vaccination bracelets are being considered to potentially replace vaccine cards as vaccine passports to access or when going to different places to tell people that the band's wearer is safe to be around.
West Coast Operations Manager Kari Armamento uses a cell phone to demonstrate the HELIIX Health Passport at REVIV at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on April 7, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The British health technology company's digital vaccine passport is a mobile app that uses an encrypted code to show the results of a recent COVID-19 test or vaccination using V-Health's VCode secure technology.(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Vaccination Passport Apps
Travel is slowly picking up around the world and many travel destinations require proof of having been vaccinated or a negative PCR test, which can be provided using vaccine passports.
That could mean downloading vaccine passport apps capable of pulling up and storing a traveler's health records and generating a QR code to show the authorities as proof of being vaccinated.
The website Travel and Leisure has identified six vaccine passport apps that are currently available and what users need to know about them. These include Clear Health Pass, CommonPass, Excelsior Pass, IATA Travel Pass, United Travel Ready Center, and VeriFLY.
But today, these apps are no longer the option to signal people who were vaccinated and who were not. New blue silicone bracelets have upped the game, which could potentially replace vaccine cards.
Vaccination Bracelets
Greg Akselrod and Ian Mikutel, who were both techies from Seattle and had backgrounds in Microsoft, and Amazon, decided to make vaccination bracelets that will boost confidence and hopefully vaccination rates as well.
According to GeekWire, the blue silicon band with the name "VacSeen" is inspired by the Livestrong cancer-fighting campaign and the "I voted" stickers during the election.
Similarly, another blue silicon vaccination bracelet but with a QR code has recently become popular. It signals to other people that the wearer is already vaccinated. With its QR code, it is easier to know what type of vaccine the wearer had.
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CNN Business reported that a restaurant in Philadelphia has made their staff use the vaccination bracelet, called Immunaband, to let their customers know that all staff has been vaccinated and it is safe to dine in their restaurant.
A news release from Immunaband said that wearers have to upload their vaccination cards for review before receiving their band. The company assured the public that their medical records are protected by medical privacy laws and the process is end-to-end encrypted.
There are two types of the ImmunaBand. One with just the QR code, while another type has the QR code, the wearer's name, and the type of vaccine they received. The QR code in the vaccination bracelet could be scanned by a smartphone to prove that the wearer has already been vaccinated.
What If ImmunaBand Gets Stolen?
Dr. Toshof Bernton, ImmunaBand president, said that the idea of vaccination bracelets came from his son several months ago.
According to the report of The Blaze, ImmunaBand has been on sale for about a month now, and thousands have already bought the $19.99 vaccination bracelets.
Bernton noted that if ever the bracelet gets stolen, the thief can get to the website but not to the vaccine and health records of the user unless their PIN is known.
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