A TECH firm says it has developed a microchip that can be implanted in a human arm and scanned with a cell phone to prove you have a Covid vaccine.
Microchip technology startup Epicenter has already created a chip that can be inserted to allow people to scan to gain access into buildings to lockers.
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Now it says the technology can be used to scan for a vaccine as well.
The chips rely on “near-field communication” (NFC) which phones use to send data for activities such as making payments.
“Implants are a very versatile technology that can be used for many different things,” Epicenter’s Chief Disruption Officer Hannes Sjöblad told the South China Post.
“Right now it is very convenient to have a COVID passport always accessible on your implant.”
It comes as health experts continue to highlight the success of the vaccine in battling the coronavirus pandemic and its effectiveness against the disease.
While the Omicron variant has recently led to a great surge in Covid cases, experts say a booster shot is the greatest move against its spread.
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They have also emphasized that while there are breakthrough cases, vaccinated people have a significantly smaller chance of becoming seriously ill or experiencing deadly symptoms.
It also comes as more and more US cities issue a mandate for people needing to be fully vaccinated in order to attend indoor events and access indoor dining, and as businesses do the same to enter workplaces.
The new chips will utilize NFC in the same way the technology is used by contactless card readers.
In a video explaining how the technology would work, a person is shown holding a phone up to their forearm.
The phone scans the chip under the skin and brings up a PDF with details on the person’s vaccination.
The tiny chip is smaller than a fingernail and can be implanted in the arm, or between the thumb and forefinger.
Sjöblad said that the implant can also be completely reversed if there comes a time when it is no longer needed.
DEVELOPED FOR DECADES
The chips are don’t currently for sale but Stockholm-based Epicenter made headlines earlier this year when they offered them to staff as passkey inserted in their hands.
It reportedly hosts parties when people get “chipped.”
The company has been working on the technology for years with the first successful chip implant performed in 1998.
Kevin Warwick implanted a silicon chip transponder in his forearm allowing his actions to be monitored as he moved through halls and offices.
He could also reportedly operate doors, lights, heaters, and other computers without lifting a finger.
“The chip implant technology has the capability to impact our lives in ways that have been previously thought possible in only sci-fi movies,” his website states.
“The implant could carry all sorts of information about a person, from Access and Visa details to your National Insurance number, blood type, medical records etc., with the data being updated where necessary.”
‘IDENTIFICATION CHIPS’
US companies have also offered employees similar microchip implants.
Three Square Market, a Wisconsin-based technology company, was the first to do so in 2017 to give employees access to locked rooms and the ability to pay for food and drinks, according to Fox News.
“Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.,” said Todd Westby, the 32M CEO who provided the chips.
“They can act as a key fob or a form of payment, or they can be programmed to store data, like, for instance, your resume. (All you have to do is hold a smartphone over the chip to program it.) ,” according to Hour Detroit Magazine.
“They’re not dissimilar from the identification chips you’d install in your cat or dog.”
Expert studies have shown that the risk of severe illness from Covid-19 is reduced by 90 percent or more among people who are fully vaccinated.
While there are breakthrough cases of Covid among people who are vaccinated, they are rare.
In the event of a breakthrough case, victims are highly unlikely to be hospitalized with severe or deadly symptoms from the virus.
Health officials have advised that the Omicron variant is more infectious and could lead to further breakthrough cases.
Yet the spread can be offset by all vaccinated Americans receiving a booster shot.
Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant.
With other variants, like Delta, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death.
Studies have also shown that side effects from the vaccine are extremely rare.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The microchip is the size of a grain of rice and can be embedded under a person’s skin under their arm or between their pointer finger and thumb.
The point of such chips is to eliminate the need to carry key fobs, identification cards, and business cards.
The chips instead will allow people to store that data in addition to passports and medical records.
Sjöblad apparently organized “transplant parties” in 2014 when his employees gathered in fun social settings and embedded chips into their arms.
The procedure is relatively quick and costs about $100.
However, the tweet was met with mixed reviews online, when people cried afoul of the unorthodox vaccine passport.
“This exactly why people don’t want to be vaccinated,” wrote one person on Twitter.
“I’m old enough to remember when this was a conspiracy theory,” joked another.
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