White House Working with Corporations to Develop ‘Vaccine Passport’

White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Monday government officials would work with private companies on the development of a “vaccine passport.”

“It’s currently going through an interagency process, we’ll make some recommendations, and then we believe it will be driven by the private sector,” she said.

Psaki said the government would “leverage their resources” to assist companies in making the passport universally accessible, affordable, and available on digital and paper.

The government, she said, would focus on developing guidelines for companies to use for a passport rollout.

Psaki stated there would be “no centralized universal federal vaccination database” and no mandate requiring everyone to get a vaccine credential.

Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Andy Slavitt also confirmed the government would be involved in the development of the passport in a briefing with reporters.

He said the government would not create the passport themselves or hold data from Americans.

“We view this as something that the private sector is doing and will do,” he said.

But he said the federal government would focus on privacy and security issues in the passport development process.

“Privacy of the information, security of the information, and a marketplace of solutions are all things that are part of what we believe in, as for the ability for people to access this free and in multiple languages,” he said.

Corporations are working on a vaccine passport the Washington Post reported Monday, as more companies plan to require proof of vaccination to participate in events, work, or travel.

The Federal Health IT Coordinating Council met virtually on March 2 to discuss the process.

“Proof of vaccination for certain activities is not new,” a slide from the meeting published by the Post read. “What is new is that such proof may be a critical driver for restoring baseline population health and promoting safe return to social, commercial, and leisure activities.”

The presentation warned of “a chaotic and ineffective” process for a vaccine passport that could slow down the economic recovery.

The meeting focused on ways to verify vaccination data and make it available for companies to use.

“Federal government has a strong interest in how this plays out, and its actions will guide the pace and direction of the market,” the slide read.