IBM Partners With Moderna

IBM and Moderna have taken the next step toward tracking vaccinated individuals in real time by teaming up to produce COVID-19 digital health passes to allow people to “return to the activities and things they love.” As reported by Raul Diego in a March 10, 2021, Mint Press News article:3

“According to a company press release,4 the collaboration will ‘focus on exploring the utility of IBM capabilities in the U.S.,’ such as a recently unveiled pilot program for a COVID-19 Digital Health Pass in the State of New York, which effectively deputizes private businesses to enforce government-imposed Covid-19 regulations.”

IBM and Moderna will “explore technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain and hybrid cloud” to “support smarter COVID-19 vaccine management,” according to the press release.5 In short, the partnership is aimed at facilitating data sharing between “governments, health care providers, life science organizations and individuals,” but this data is not restricted to health data.

As reported by Diego,6 other “multiple blockchain ledger applications” being leveraged include IBM’s Blockchain Transparent Supply and Food Trust services, which shares food sourcing and supply-chain data, and its Blockchain World Wire cross-border payment processing service.

Vaccine Pass Rolled Out in New York

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the so-called Excelsior Pass,7 built on IBM’s Digital Health Pass, during his January 2021 state of the state address.8

The first test of the Excelsior Pass took place during an NBA game at the Barclays Center. A second test occurred March 2, 2021, at an NHL game at Madison Square Garden. Other pilot programs for health verification passes have also been rolled out in various places around the world.

Right now, vaccine passports are voluntary, but IBM is already looking at the Excelsior Pass as a model for what it predicts will be mandatory digital health passes in the future.
In Israel, for example, there’s the Green Pass,9 and in Los Angeles, California, schools have adopted the Daily Pass QR Health Portal, a partnership between Microsoft and Anthem Health, the largest membership health system in the U.S.10 And, March 17, 2021, the European Commission proposed its version of “digital green certificates” that the EC says will offer a “coordinated approach” to allow citizens to freely travel around Europe.11

Right now, vaccine passports are voluntary, but IBM is already looking at the Excelsior Pass as a model for what it predicts will be mandatory digital health passes in the future. According to IBM’s U.S. public and federal market leader, Steve LaFleche, the passes will cease to be voluntary “once government guidelines and regulations force the private sector to enforce their implementation.”12As noted by Diego:13

“Conveniently, IBM’s strong presence in the law enforcement space, as one of the largest providers of digital profiling technologies and AI policing systems in the world, may also help with any obstacles Moderna may face among vaccine-hesitant populations.”