STOCKHOLM, March 5 (Xinhua) – Sweden is developing a digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate for use in international travel. The goal is to have the system in place by 1 June, the government said on Friday.
“Sweden is driving the development of digital vaccination certificates. We now have a model that is simple, secure and versatile. I see that these vaccination certificates are in place during the summer,” said Anders Ygeman, Minister of Digital Development, at a press conference. .
Ygeman said he expected travel companies and countries to require internationally valid proof of vaccination in the future. “Today, many require proof of COVID-19 testing and when the vaccine arrives, it is logical that they will require vaccine certification,” he said.
The certificate can also be used to access certain events or services in Sweden, said Ygeman and added that provisions should be made to ensure that those who cannot be vaccinated are not discriminated against.
The certificate would be available through digital identification and can be saved on a smartphone or in a digital wallet. It can also be sent by regular mail either as a paper document or an NFC sticker (near field communication) attached to the owner’s passport.
An encryption key would be attached to enable verification of its authenticity at border checks.
As of Thursday, Sweden had administered COVID-19 vaccines to 568,000 individuals, of which 285,000 had already received two doses, according to the Swedish Public Health Agency.
On Friday, Sweden had registered almost 685,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, 4,800 more than on Thursday. The number of deaths had increased by 26 to a total of 13,003.
As the world struggles to curb the pandemic, vaccination is underway in a growing number of countries with already authorized coronavirus vaccines.
At the same time, 261 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide – 79 of them in clinical trials – in countries such as Germany, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to information published by the World Health Organization on 5 March.