US vaccine 'passports' advance despite growing controversy

A person looking at the app for the New York State Excelsior Pass, which provides secure, digital proof of a Covid-19 vaccination, in front of a screen showing the New York skyline.

As the United States' vaccination campaign accelerates, so-called vaccine passports are gaining traction despite political divisions and a fragmented health care system that complicates the centralization of data. Asher Weintraub, 17, was happy to show off the new digital New York state ‘pass’ that he downloaded to his smartphone, which, via a QR code, certified that he was vaccinated against Covid. ‘I think it is a good thing, you don't have to like provide all (sorts of) forms and documents each time,’ he said, displaying his code at the entrance to one of the first indoor concerts in Manhattan since March 2020. Led by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York is the only American state to have launched such a pass, which is voluntary and has been done in partnership with IBM.