Quebec says vaccine passport application secure, available for download on Wednesday

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube says the smartphone applications that will run Quebec’s vaccine passport system will be available for download starting Wednesday.

“We are responding to a promise we made to Quebecers, that the vaccination would be a passport to freedom,” Dube told reporters Tuesday in Montreal. “The vaccine passport is the balance we found to keep our economy opened while protecting people.”

Starting Sept. 1, residents over 13 years old will be required to show proof of vaccination to access businesses the government deems non-essential, such as gyms, bars and restaurants. Residents have been issued a quick response code by the government as vaccination proof.

Businesses will be required to download a QR code reader, while patrons will need to download an application and upload their QR code into it, or they can present a paper version of the code. The applications will be ready for download on Apple’s App Store Wednesday morning, while Android users will be able to access it later this week, Dube said.

He said the pilot project for the vaccine passport that was tested over the last few weeks was successful. Some businesses that participated, however, were met with protests involving people against the passport system.

Dube said the state “cannot let an entire population be held hostage in order to let a minority keep their privileges.”

People will face penalties, he added without offering details, for trying to reproduce fake QR codes.

Earlier Tuesday, Reno Bernier, who is responsible for information technology at the Health Department, told reporters during a technical briefing that the vaccine passport application won’t require an internet connection because the system won’t send, receive or save customer data.

Bernier said the application for businesses will only display the customer’s name, date of birth and whether they are considered adequately vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Quebec reported 345 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday and three more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus. Health officials said hospitalizations rose by three, to 102, and 29 people were in intensive care, a drop of two.

Officials said 78.5 per cent of Quebecers 12 and older are considered adequately vaccinated.