Spectrum is piloting an innovative vaccine verification technology

Spectrum Health Care has partnered with Convergence Tech and their sister company Trybe.ID to pilot an innovative vaccine verification process for health care workers as a model for future COVID-19 testing or vaccination proof.

Using proprietary, secure, and verifiable blockchain technology, this digital tool will facilitate the movement of healthcare workers across multiple locations and facilities bringing back needed capacity for the sector.

The process uses an individual, digitally-signed, tamper-proof and encrypted credential that is issued to each person receiving the vaccine or test. This credential is then stored in a secure digital identity wallet that can be presented when needed to a verifier such as a long-term care home or hospital.

The current pilot is tracking digital credentials issued for influenza vaccinations within Spectrum’s nursing and PSW home care staff. The technology could also be used in the future as a secure vaccine verification tool for other groups in various healthcare settings or even within the general population. If successful, other credentials such as background checks and references could be issued based on this process, significantly reducing on-boarding time and cost for healthcare frontline staff. The technology complies with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) which ensures that personal privacy and personal data is protected.

“Trybe.ID is an exciting step in the direction of validating vaccination records in the healthcare space, and as a Canadian home care provider we are thrilled to support a Canadian-based technology that will promote community safety and a return to normal,” said Sandra Ketchen, Spectrum President & CEO. “This solution can make validating vaccinations not just more secure, but also much easier for both health care workers and institutions.”

“COVID-19: Embracing Digital Credentials in Health Care”, a paper outlining this technology and the pilot model, has been released and subsequent studies on the findings from this pilot will be shared.