KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica has officially launched its digitized coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination card saying that the internationally accepted document was developed in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton (left), and Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Donneth Edmondson (right), are given a demonstration of the digitization of Jamaica’s COVID-19 vaccination card system (JIS photo)“It is global, it is accepted and it will certainly place us in a tier among the world’s population that allows us easier freedom of movement as it relates to the screening (aspect) around the COVID-19 response,” Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton said, noting that it is an important step in efforts to digitized the national COVID-19 vaccination program.
The digital card, which will be made available on the Ministry’s www.moh.gov.jm website, features a Quick Response (QR) code to enable the validation of the information on the card and of the person’s vaccination status.
The digital card is accessible via a mobile phone or other electronic device and provides for ease of travel as the QR code is readable on international platforms. It also has the capacity to generate a new card on demand. The card can be downloaded or generated in printable format.
Tufton said the initiative forms part of ongoing efforts to enhance the national COVID-19 vaccination program.
He said in light of new and emerging trends around vaccination screening, the development of the digital card is timely as it enables persons to provide proof of vaccination which is increasingly becoming a requirement in accessing and conducting transactions.
The minister said that with regards to the security of personal data, the system has built-in security mechanisms to protect persons’ information.
He also reminded persons to be selective of the entities or individuals with which they share their digital vaccination card and encouraged persons to visit an official vaccination site for assistance in accessing the digital card.
Member of the National Vaccination Operationalization COVID-19 Taskforce, Peter Melhado, said this latest development is an important addition to the island’s current suite of digital solutions, including the Ministry’s COVID-19 vaccination management platform and online scheduling software.
“What that really means is that Jamaica now boasts a complete digital end-to-end experience, from scheduling through to record management and now digital certification,” he said, noting that the system will also allow for input of information on COVID-19 booster shots.
This function is to be made available by the third week in January 2022.
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Donneth Edmondson, said the organization's support of the initiative is in keeping with its global COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
“With the certificate being launched today, Jamaicans now have the ability to provide certified proof of their vaccination status with the touch of a button. As people move around the world again, this will help us to travel with a bit more ease and to have quick access to the certification wherever it is requested,” she said.
The roll out of the Digitization of Jamaica’s COVID-19 Vaccination Card is the collaborative effort of several stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the private sector, UNICEF and not-for-profit organization eGovernments Foundation and India.
