Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Monday that Americans who have digital access to their vaccination status against Covid would be helpful in navigating the coronavirus pandemic in the coming months.
In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner tried to minimize privacy concerns at the center of opposition to verification requirements.
“The whole discussion around vaccine passports has been dragged down by a lot of concerns about whether or not it will be used to limit people’s access to things they would otherwise do,” said Gottlieb, a board member. of Pfizer, which makes it one of three Covid vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. “The use of this information is likely to allow access to things that would otherwise be restricted.”
Gottlieb noted visits to residences or hospitals in the fall, when he said he hopes to increase coronavirus cases again. Last winter “nursing homes banned visitors. Hospitals banned visitors,” he said. “One could see a situation where these institutions could allow people to visit if they show that they have been vaccinated.”
Information about Covid vaccines administered is entered into the same system used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track pediatric vaccinations, Gottlieb said. “The problem with the system is that it was never really designed to be accessible to consumers, so consumers have no way right now to get the information to prove they’ve been vaccinated.”
The paper cards CDC people currently receive when they receive their Covid shots are also not likely to be cut, he said. “These are available on eBay right now … so people won’t accept the cards as proof of vaccination.”
Therefore, digital documentation on the status of the Covid vaccine should be available to Americans, he said. “How they decide to use it depends on them,” said Gottlieb, who was head of the FDA from 2017 to 2019 in the Trump administration.
Efforts to develop Covid digital vaccine records are underway, including a high-profile group supported by Microsoft and the Mayo Clinic known as the Vaccination Credentials Initiative. The coalition said earlier this month that it expects the technology it develops to be available in May.
IBM is working with New York State on a digital health pass that uses blockchain technology to verify a person’s test or vaccine credentials. Walmart, which is firing on its stores, has recently backed applications for vaccine certificates.
The debate over so-called vaccine passports has grown controversial, as some critics raise concerns about civil liberties. In Florida, for example, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order this month that prevents companies from requiring a person to prove they have received a Covid vaccine as a prerequisite for service.
Last week, the Biden administration ruled out vaccine passports at the federal level. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday, “There will be no federal immunization database or federal mandate that requires everyone to obtain a single immunization credential.”
Gottlieb said that “under certain limited circumstances,” he predicts people will need to prove he has been immunized against Covid. “So I think people have to think differently,” he added. “Right now, as consumers, we don’t own this information and we should.”
Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and board member of Pfizer, the start of Tempus genetic testing, healthcare technology company Aetion Inc. and biotechnology. Illuminate. He is also co – chair of Norway Cruise Line Holdings′ I Royal Caribbean“Healthy Candle Panel”. The Associated Press contributed to this report.