Year in Review: The Rapid Spread of Vaccine Credentials

Since the start of the pandemic (and since the first pandemic lockdowns), health experts have insisted that vaccines would be an essential component of any recovery plan. More specifically, vaccines would once again make it safe for people to gather together in public places, and allow the world to restore some sense of normalcy.

Those promises started to come to fruition in 2021. Vaccines were finally pushed to the public at scale in the early part of the year, and while there is still more work to be done (especially in light of the Omicron variant), the second year of the pandemic felt much more familiar than the first. People got their vaccines, and then started returning to restaurants, movie theatres, airports, and sporting events in numbers that felt impossible after the onset of COVID-19.

Digital vaccine credentials were a key part of that re-opening process. A modern take on a more traditional vaccine card, the digital credentials gave venue operators and service providers a way to verify the health of their patrons and employees. The credentials can be stored on a standard smartphone. That makes them easier to share (both in-person and remotely), and reduces the likelihood of anything getting misplaced.

That utility has made vaccine credentials one of the biggest identity stories of 2021, with multiple identity providers integrating vaccine credentials into their portfolios. That trend is likely to carry over into 2022 as the world continues to battle the latest wave of the pandemic. Let us know your thoughts on the matter in our Year in Review Survey for 2021!

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December 21, 2021 – by Eric Weiss

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