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Some OC Residents Fear A Mandatory Vaccine Passport System
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center receives its first batch of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine
(
Ann Johansson/UCLA
)
Orange County Supervisors are in the process of creating a program that would give residents digital proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status.
However, unconfirmed rumors circulated online that the county plans to impose a mandatory "vaccine passport" system, which would limit access to public and private spaces based on vaccination status.
About 200 people showed up to speak at the supervisors’ board meeting on Tuesday to voice their concerns.
The confusion appears to stem from a feature within the app that Orange County officials use to track and schedule coronavirus testing and vaccination appointments.
The app prematurely gave users a QR code to validate their vaccine status.
"We don't make decisions on whether or not a business would use a [vaccine] passport,” said Dr. Clayton Chau, director of the O.C. Health Care Agency.
That function has since been deactivated, though officials are working on a pilot program that would allow residents to request a digital copy of their inoculation record.
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