Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools to fight against many deadly ailments. Hence we all have to get various vaccines during our lives.
And that’s not where it ends. Once we get the shot, it is important to procure the proof of vaccination—a vaccine certificate. This becomes especially important in the case of diseases such as COVID-19.
But here’s the problem—the traditional paper-based certificates are not reliable anymore. With advancements in technology, it’s very easy for those certificates to be duplicated.
Hence, it becomes quite a task to ensure the authenticity of the certificate. Well, not anymore. Thanks to QR Codes!
In this article, we will discuss how QR Codes are used on vaccine certificates.
A. A quick explanation of the QR Code technology
QR Codes are a well-known O2O technology. They help connect the offline world to digital content. How?
Well, QR Codes store information just the way barcodes do. But they’re way ahead of the barcodes. They store a lot more information and scan much faster than the barcodes.
In addition, they also come with damage-resistant capabilities.
Due to such characteristics, QR Codes have picked up enormously in the last few years. In fact, they have replaced barcodes to a great extent.
Hence, you can see them being used across various industries for different use cases. From logistics management and digital payments to marketing communications and promotions, they’re doing it all.
And now they have made a huge entry on vaccine certificates too. Here’s how:
B. QR Codes for vaccine certificates
QR Codes help verify the genuineness of the vaccine certificates. It could be done in various possible ways.
For example, the medical facility, portal, or government providing the vaccination create a QR Code for each patient. This QR Code will have all the details of the person being vaccinated. This is called a Text QR Code.
Or to make it better, they can have details such as patient name, age, and date of vaccination on various web pages of their website. And then create QR Codes having these weblinks. Then these QR Code can be added to the respective vaccine certificate.
When scanned, it will take the end-users to all the vaccination information on your web portal. Since all the information is on your portal, no one will be able to tamper with it.
Alternatively, if you do have an information system or application, you can integrate QR Code generation into it. We’ll talk more about it in section D.
C. Examples of QR Codes being used on vaccine certificates
Many countries across the world are using QR Codes on vaccine certificates and lab reports. Here are some of them:
India
In India, Every vaccine certificate for protection against the COVID-19 has a QR Code on it. The certificate has all the details such as the person’s name, age, gender, and date and place of vaccination.
Along with all this comes a QR Code at the bottom. However, it cannot be scanned using generic QR Code scanners. This possibly indicates that the data in QR Code can only be accessed by authorized personnel.
Europe
To travel within Europe, people need to produce proof of vaccination. The validity of the certificate happens to be till 9 months from the date of the shot.
Each of the certificates comes in the national language as well as English. It also has a QR Code to make the data safe and secure.
Bahrain
The app named BeWare is used in the country for contact tracing. The app also helps citizens access their ‘proof of vaccination’.
People have to wait for two weeks after receiving the second dose of vaccination. Once done, the app shows a green shield with their information.
It also displays a QR Code which helps the authorities to link the certificate to their national vaccine register.
Columbia
VitalPass in Columbia was the first-ever digital vaccine passport created in Latin America.
Just like the examples mentioned above, this certificate also comes with a QR Code. The certificate helps people move freely across any COVID restrictions.
D. How to create QR Codes
Now that you know everything about QR Codes for vaccine certificates, the next question is—how to create them?
Well, this can be done in many ways. You may want to create QR Codes one by one (which may get tedious and repetitive).
Or you may also want to create them in bulk or in real-time. Here’s how you can proceed in either of the three cases:
1. Create QR Codes individually
You need a QR Code generator to create QR Codes individually. In fact, there are more than 30 types of QR Codes that you can choose from. For example, a Website URL QR Code, a Text QR Code, etc.
Then just go to a QR Code generator such as Scanova. Next, you will have to select a relevant QR Code category.
Then simply enter the content to be enoded and create your QR Code. You will also be able to add design to your QR Code (if needed). In addition, you will also be able to specify the size and format of the QR Code image to be downloaded.
For more information on how to create a QR Code, here’s a detailed guide.
However, if you need to create QR Codes in large numbers, this option won’t be suitable for you. That’s because it will take a lot of your time and effort. You will rather need a bulk generation service.
2. Create QR Codes in bulk
Services such as QR Batch help you create QR Codes in bulk. Here’s how it works:
a. You create a spreadsheet having all the data to be added in the QR Codes (such as web links or textual data)
b. Then you go to QR Batch and select the relevant QR Code category
c. Upload the spreadsheet and match the columns in the spreadsheet with those on the dashboard
d. Add a design to the QR Codes (optional)
e. Download your QR Codes as labels or images
It makes the whole process fast to save you a lot of time, effort, and even money.
3. Integrate QR Code generation into your information system
This is particularly helpful if you already have an information system in place. You will no longer have to go to your QR Code generator whenever you need to create QR Codes.
A QR Code API will help you automate the generation of QR Codes in real-time. You simply have to go to QR API, integrate it with your information system, and get started.
Here’s a detailed guide on how to do it.
That’s it. You now know everything about QR Codes on vaccine certificates. They act as a powerful tool to keep the authenticity of vaccine certificates intact in the most seamless way.
