Vaccination card criticised
March 26th, 2021An analyst believes that the card issued to citizens who have been vaccinated is not sufficiently professional either in protecting personal data or in providing information on the carrier’s immunity to Covid-19.
In Népszava, Dr János Weltner, a well-known surgeon supports the idea of a ‘green card’ to allow those vaccinated access to services or activities inaccessible for the non-vaccinated. However, he believes, the plastic card already sent to citizens is only a clumsy first attempt. It is only valid if accompanied by the holder’s identity card, although the photo and the biological variables on the IDs could easily be copied onto the green card from the same data base from which the ID numbers are drawn. The QR code on the card, he continues, directs the authorities to the national electronic health database, and there is no guarantee that those who use it (for instance a border guard) would not have access to sensitive health data in addition to the information strictly related to the citizen’s Covid immunity. Dr Weltner believes people should instead be given an electronic certificate that they could carry on their smartphones, on which their Covid status could be easily updated, and which would therefore reflect their current status. He suggests that the Hungarian authorities should propose such a virtual Covid card to be standardised throughout the European Union.