Tag: covid-19

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Quebec’s new vaccine QR code natively supports Apple’s Wallet and Health app

Quebec has rolled out a new vaccine QR that is natively supported by Apple’s Wallet and Health app.

There’s a catch, though: you need to be running iOS 15.1. The latest version of Apple’s OS is currently only via public beta, although it’s set for a wide release sometime next week.

To start, you’ll need to download the Quebec vaccination QR code on desktop here. Once you’ve done that, select ‘download your paper proof for use outside Quebec,’ then scan the QR code with your iPhone’s camera app. Tap the ‘Health’ button that appears and follow the instructions to add the code to your Wallet and the Health app.

This gives Quebec iOS users an official vaccine QR code solution, given that the previous one was a third-party workaround.

If you’re in Ontario, here’s what you should know about the Ford government’s own solution, the Verify Ontario app.

Via: iPhone in Canada

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Ontario rolls out vaccine QR code scanner app without QR codes to scan

Ahead of its October 22nd launch, the Ontario government has released its COVID-19 vaccine verification app, ‘Verify Ontario.’

The app allows fully vaccinated Ontarians to verify their vaccination status through a QR code when entering businesses and other establishments. The app will also work with QR codes from B.C., Quebec and the Yukon. It’s unclear if support for more provinces will be added to the app in the future.

That said, vaccination certificate QR codes are not yet available in the province. It remains unclear how the province plans to roll out vaccine QR codes. It’s also worth noting that the app doesn’t support some of the existing methods for generating QR codes from Ontario vaccine receipts.

The Ontario government says that it won’t collect personally identifiable information related to user location, visitors, or businesses through the app. The app displays proof of vaccination for 30 seconds and then deletes it.

However, the Ford government has confirmed that it will collect “anonymized” data related to the number of completed scans, scans’ date/time, and positive/negative scans.

A green checkmark indicates that someone has been verified, a yellow checkmark means there is an issue and an ‘X’ relates to invalid vaccination certification.

Verify Ontario is available in the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store.

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Verify Ontario vaccine verification app will collect ‘anonymized’ data

More details about Ontario’s vaccine certificate verification app have arrived ahead of the imminent October 22nd launch.

Dubbed ‘Verify Ontario,’ the app will allow fully vaccinated Ontarians to quickly verify their vaccination status via a QR code when entering businesses and other establishments. According to details reported by Richard Southern on Twitter and via CityNews, the Verify Ontario app will also accept QR codes from B.C., Quebec and the Yukon. It’s unclear if more provinces will be supported in the future.

By accepting QR codes from other provinces, it should make travel easier for vaccinated residents.

Further, CityNews reports that the Ontario government says the app won’t collect personally identifiable information. The app also won’t collect users’ location data or save information that links people to specific locations, visitors or businesses. It will display verified proofs of vaccination for 30 seconds, then delete them.

Unfortunately, the Ford government also confirmed it would collect “anonymized” data using Google Analytics. That will reportedly include the number of completed scans, date and time of scans and the number of negative, positive and invalid scans. The tracking will use randomly generated numbers created when users first install the app.

Finally, the government also detailed what would happen when someone scans a Verify Ontario QR code. First, the app will show one of three results: a green checkmark for verified, a yellow warning if there’s a problem, or a red ‘X’ if the proof isn’t valid.

For yellow warnings, the government recommends cleaning the camera lens or adjusting the angle to make sure reflections aren’t interfering with the camera’s ability to read the code. For the red ‘X,’ the government says it may mean the users only has one of two vaccinations, or that there is missing, invalid or incorrect information in the QR code.

Source: Richard Southern, CityNews

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Ontario’s proof of vaccination app to be called ‘Verify Ontario’

The Government of Ontario’s COVID-19 proof of vaccination app will be called, fittingly enough, ‘Verify Ontario.’

Mike Crawley, CBC News‘ Queen’s Park reporter, tweeted on Wednesday night that a colleague had discovered the name via a web page.

However, the government has still not publicly commented on the name nearly one day later.

Set to launch on October 22nd, the Verify Ontario app will allow Ontarians to store a QR code containing proof of their vaccination. Businesses that require this, such as dine-in restaurants, movie theatres and convention centres, can then scan the QR code.

This system went into effect on September 22nd, with the province stating that it would take one month from then to get the official QR code app up and running.

For now, Ontarians can use the province’s official vaccination receipt tool to show to businesses. You can also use that same portal to book a vaccine appointment if you haven’t yet done so.

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YouTube will now block all anti-vax content

YouTube is updating its medical misinformation policies to include a ban on all anti-vax content.

In a blog post, the company notes that this marks an expansion of existing policies that blocked COVID-19 related vaccine videos based on a number of criteria. Now, videos about any type of vaccine, be it the flu or MMR shots, will be prohibited.

“We’ve steadily seen false claims about the coronavirus vaccines spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general, and we’re now at a point where it’s more important than ever to expand the work we started with COVID-19 to other vaccines,” writes YouTube in the blog.

“Specifically, content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed.”

Examples of this include content falsely claiming that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or contain location tracking devices. The company says it consulted with medical experts when developing the new policies.

For more on approved COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, visit the Government of Canada’s website.

Source: YouTube