"An Idea Whose Time May Never Come--Will we even need vaccine passports?": https://www.city-journal.org/covid-19-vaccine-passports
Because we don't need that under 99% of the time or typical scenario. We only need this when there is a medical emergency. We should be thinking of this, not as general use or ever allow it to be such. It only should be used for a real emergency and safeguards should be in place to ensure that is the case. Your nervousness, I assume is that it gets generalized, abused by the hand of bad actors in gov - those are solid concerns and thus we should have real check on the power. To me, this is a tool that could do wonders earlier in the covid pandemic stage, and that it should be in our toolbox for future medical crises - there will be future crisis. So, build the tool and if we don’t need it, great. Dust it up for the next time we do need it. Currently, these are state-level efforts. Federal should keep it that way but with close oversight, guidance, and federal regulation to ensure proper usage.
You have no idea what mission creep is. No one here is saying it's a conspiracy with 5g. It's obviously just the groundwork that could be expanded into digital IDs that could be tied to other factors that affect your privileges. If you aren't familiar with China's social credit system, I implore you to become familiar. Regardless, such digital IDs already violate HIPAA and won't be legal if implemented anyway.
You've done it. You somehow connect digital ID to China's social credit. LOL. BTW, Digital IDs is everywhere. Outlook has digital ID. Windows login has digital ID. Paypal has digital ID. Apple secure login - more digital ID. That finger print - more digital ID. That pass you scan at the airport - digital ID. When you pay with your phone - digital IDs. Mobil driver license - woh, my goodness - government issued digital ID! Digital ID doesn't violate HIPAA. In fact, digital ID is a path toward securing personal medical record. When records may only be released with digital verification, it's much more secure than by voice, signature or any paper verification.
Yes we do and I'm not against vaccine passports in principle but am pointing out potential issues with it. HIPAA and ADA have been around for decades but we still have many lawsuits over them. This is something new especially making them digital and implemented through cell phone technology. That raises issues of security and privacy in regard to app developers and service providers. I think there are still a lot of details to be worked out on these before I think they can be implemented. My own guess is that full implementation will get tied up in lawsuits.
We have implemented and trending toward digital medical records. It's more secure, efficient and convenient for the user than paper records. It also reduces medical mistake. HIPAA law understand honest mistakes can be made so they require "reasonable effort" to protect medical records. Going digital improve compliant, not degrade it. HIPAA isn't so much a concern here (yes, bugs can happen initially and they will need to be addressed) as much as how, where, when and to what extend the "passport" is used.
That's interesting. I can access my medical records through the web but I haven't seen an app. Even so accessing my records is still a two stage authentication process. I'm guessing a vaccine passport wouldn't have that level of authentication.
I can access the records from certain providers and that record is shown through their app. What I want is a one stop shop for all my medical records. It's a big pain, time consuming and sometime costly (they can charge you money to get your own record) to get and release your record. Just give it to me by default and let me provide it to anyone I want, securely. BTW - you probably know this: HIPAA main intention was to allow movement of medical records between health providers but to do so only with your permission, and to safeguard the records they have on hand. In the case of NY, the app likely has access to some centralize NY database. They are said to use blockchain encryption to secure the data (probably way overkill). Once you install the app, I'm guessing you would have to identify yourself through some ID, agree to what it does, then the app can access the database to obtain your covid test and vaccination status.
I understand what HIPAA was for but protecting patient privacy is still a big part of it. What we're seeing here is the basic tension between more availability of information and privacy. We see this same problem with all sorts of fields and I think vaccine passports are going to run into the same thing. As stated though not against them in principle but I don't think these other issues should be ignored and will complicate the widespread rollout and acceptance of them.
Its becoming common. My family's primary care physicians are all through Health Partners/Park Nicollet. I can login to the HP app and find my test results and immunizations in there. It's not as extensive as the website (where you can get all of the after care reports and a lot more historical medical records data) but you get some information. I can pull up my covid vaccine record on there right now. Ultimately a mobile app isn't any different than a computer. It's just that the amount of medical records data exposed via API for the app is quite limited compared to the website. And some providers build websites that are functional web apps that are opening the website in a format designed for a phone (so you get full parity with the website in those cases)
right but this isn’t new... the trend has been happening for years (I believe Obamacare even has a provision to encourage it) to digital records and make it available at your fingertips. It’s ultimately for the end user / patient benefits while having even better privacy and security.
Denmark lifted restrictions on vaccinated and kept in place restrictions on unvaccinated via covid vaccination passport earlier this year. Now that they have achieved greater than 70% vaccination, they are removing the passport check. I think it’s a bit too early but the point here is we now have real case of how it is used - a tool for public health crisis management and nothing more. The fear was as typical, overblown.
