Dr. Scott Gottlieb sees function for digital Covid ‘vaccine passports’

Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Monday Americans who have digital access to their Covid vaccination status would be helpful in managing the coronavirus pandemic in the months ahead.

In an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner attempted to downplay privacy concerns that conflict with the denial of the review requirements.

“The whole discussion about vaccination passports has raised many concerns about whether or not it will restrict people’s access to things they would otherwise do,” said Gottlieb, a board member of Pfizer of the three Covid vaccines used in emergencies Approved in the US, the other two vaccines are from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. “The use case for this information will likely allow access to things that would otherwise be restricted.”

Gottlieb pointed to visits to nursing homes or hospitals in the fall when he said he expected coronavirus cases to rise again. Last winter, “nursing homes banned visitors. Hospitals banned visitors,” he said. “You might see a situation where these facilities could allow visitors if they can prove they have been vaccinated.”

Information about Covid vaccines administered is currently being entered into the same system used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track pediatric vaccinations, Gottlieb explained. “The problem with the system is that it was never really designed to be accessible to consumers, so there really is no way for consumers right now to get the information to prove they have been vaccinated.”

The paper cards from the CDC people they are currently receiving when they take their Covid shots are unlikely to cut it either, he said. “These are now available on eBay. So people don’t accept the cards as proof of vaccination.”

Therefore, digital documentation of the Covid vaccine status should be available to Americans, he argued. “How you use it is up to you,” said the former FDA chief from 2017 to 2019 in the Trump administration.

Efforts are being made to develop digital Covid vaccine records, including a high profile group supported by Microsoft and the Mayo Clinic known as the Vaccination Credential Initiative. The coalition said earlier this month it hoped to make the technology it developed available in May.

IBM is working with New York State on a digital health passport that uses blockchain technology to verify a person’s test or vaccine credentials. Walmart, who is shooting in its stores, recently backed calls for vaccine certificates.

The debate about so-called vaccination passports is controversial, as some critics express concerns about civil liberty. In Florida, for example, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed an ordinance earlier this month preventing companies from requiring a person to show that they received a Covid vaccine as a prerequisite for service.

Last week, the Biden government banned vaccination certificates at the federal level. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last Tuesday, “There will be no federal vaccination database or federal mandate that requires everyone to have a single vaccination certificate.”

Gottlieb said: “Under certain circumstances,” he expects people to have to prove that they have been vaccinated against Covid. “I think people need to think differently about it,” he added. “Right now, as consumers, we don’t and shouldn’t have this information.”

Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC employee and a member of the boards of directors of Pfizer, genetic testing startup Tempus, health technology company Aetion Inc., and biotech company Illumina. He is also co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean’s Healthy Sail Panel. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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