B.C. app shows proof of COVID-19 vaccination
Posted August 11, 2021 4:22 pm.
Last Updated August 11, 2021 4:53 pm.
VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – The federal government is working out the details to introduce a national passport system to help eager Canadians travel once again, however, there’s already a system like that available in B.C. — it’s just not many people know about it.
That national document will include where, when and what brand of vaccines you got. In Canada, those vaccines will be Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca.
Related Article: Canada working on proof-of-vaccination credentials for international travel
It’s free to get and it’s called the BC Services Card app.
You apply through the app and once you’re registered, your medical history is essentially on your phone, including what you’ve been vaccinated for, like COVID.
It also has everything the federal government is putting on the national document, meaning — where, when and what kind of COVID vaccine you got.
B.C.’s Health Ministry says only about 745,000 have the app as of Aug. 6.
There’s a free app available in BC that shows proof of your #COVID19 vaccines but the province tells me only about 745,000 ppl have it. It shows all the info the national vaccine passport document will have.
BC App: https://t.co/ADj8N2AfDA
Passport story: https://t.co/DlNysyRCcP pic.twitter.com/uLSdkQKLaZ— Sonia Aslam (@SoniaSAslam) August 11, 2021
Federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says Canada has the best vaccination rate in the G-20 and people are desperate to travel once again. So, they’ll need the proof. “We are working actively with the provinces and the territories on a secure, pan-Canadian proof of vaccination for international travel. These credentials will have a common design across all provinces.”
The passports will be available to all Canadian citizens, permanent residents and temporary residents who are living in Canada “if they’re fully vaccinated, according to the standard set by Public Health.”
Quebec is introducing a provincial passport next month that will be required for anyone who wants to attend public events, go to the gym, or out to eat.
Manitoba already has a vaccine program in place, and the B.C. government has only repeated all options are on the table here, including a vaccine passport system.
