Covid-19
T-Systems order: Digital vaccination certificates for WHO countries
In Germany, T-Systems, together with the largest European software house SAP, developed the Corona-Warn-App to contain the corona infection chains and operates the infrastructure for it. Photo: Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Software from Germany should continue to help worldwide in the future to get the corona pandemic under control. The Telekom subsidiary T-Systems provides an essential building block.
The World Health Organization (WHO) will provide its 194 member states with a technical framework for the introduction of digital vaccination certificates.
An important component, the gateway for cross-border exchange of evidence, comes from the Telekom subsidiary T-Systems. The company announced this in Frankfurt am Main.
The system enables QR codes on electronic vaccination certificates to be checked across national borders. After the corona pandemic has been overcome, it should serve as a standard procedure for other vaccinations such as polio or yellow fever.
In Germany, T-Systems developed the Corona-Warn-App (CWA) together with the largest European software house SAP to contain the corona infection chains and operates the infrastructure for it. In this context, T-Systems also set up the European Federation Gateway Service (EFGS). The service ensures that member states’ corona tracing apps work across borders. The Telekom subsidiary has also already developed the EU gateway for vaccination certificates, which is used, among other things, by the CovPass app in Germany and similar applications in other EU member states and numerous non-EU countries.
No information on the financial extent
Telekom did not provide any information about the financial scope of the WHO order. In Germany, the remuneration for the development and operation of the Corona-Warn-App in particular is controversial. Critics point out that neighboring European countries were able to develop a tracing app at significantly lower cost than SAP and T-Systems in Germany. However, the costs of an estimated 130 million euros to date also include the costly operation of a call center to support CWA users who want to have a positive test result entered manually in the app.
Similar to the CWA, the work on the software should be open-source and transparent via the Github developer platform. SAP and T-Systems had previously been praised from all sides for this. Telekom emphasized that the new gateway for the WHO also complies with the strict provisions of the European General Data Protection Regulation.
“Digitally verifiable evidence creates trust”
Gerret Mehl, Head of Digital Health and Innovation at WHO, explained that Corona affects everyone. “The countries will therefore only come out of the pandemic together. Forgery-proof and digitally verifiable vaccination certificates create trust.» The WHO therefore supports the member states in setting up national and regional trust networks and testing technology. «The WHO gateway offer also sees itself as a bridge between regional systems. It can also be used as part of future vaccination campaigns and patient records.”
A WHO spokeswoman pointed out that there is currently no global digital solution for polio and yellow fever vaccination certificates for international travel. Here, the vaccination status for international travelers is currently recorded on the paper-based International Vaccination and Prophylaxis Certificate (ICVP).