As the Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads like wildfire among people who are not vaccinated, a growing number of restaurants and other establishments are requiring that patrons show proof of vaccination to enter. Just yesterday, I saw this article in my local newspaper providing a (growing) list of these places in New Orleans. Not only does such a policy provide better protection for the people who work there, but it also provides a level of assurance to the other patrons. It certainly makes me more comfortable to enter a venue when I know that everyone else there is vaccinated.
Fortunately, there is an easy way to show that you are vaccinated using your iPhone. First, there are a number of states including California, Colorado, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Utah, that now offer an app or portal that you can use to show that you are vaccinated. Second, the medical provider that vaccinated you may have an app or website that shows something similar. Third, Clear — the same company that sells a service where you use your eyes and face to prove your identity when you check in at certain airports or other establishments — offers a free service called the Clear Health Pass. All of these options are described in an article published yesterday in the Washington Post by Chris Velazco and Geoffrey A. Fowler. Click here to read that article for free, even if you don't currently subscribe to the Post (via the Washington Post gift article function).
Because I live in Louisiana, I'm discussing the first option in today's post. If you also live here, I recommend that you get this app. But even if you live in another state, this post will give you a sense of what you might be able to get in your own state, either now or in the (hopefully near) future.
The app in Louisiana is called LA Wallet. I reviewed the LA Wallet app in 2018. The app is free to download, and there is a cost of $5.99 to activate a digital version of your official, verified, Louisiana driver's license. [UPDATE: By order of the Governor of Louisiana, that cost is currently waived during the COVID-19 pandemic.] By using this app, as long as you have your iPhone with you, you also have your driver's license. For example, if you grab your iPhone and your keys and jump in your car without also grabbing your wallet or purse, you don't need to worry about driving without a license. You can also use the app to prove your age to purchase alcohol.
The app was updated in May, 2021, to add the ability to display vaccination status. To activate this feature, tap the COVID-19 button at the bottom of the app and tap a few buttons to confirm that you want to enable a SMART Health Card, a service that works with the Louisiana Department of Health. Because the app already knows who you are (through your driver's license), the app quickly confirms with the state health department that you are vaccinated. (You don't need to enter anything yourself to confirm your vaccination status.) Once this activation step completes, which only takes a few seconds, you can hold up your iPhone to show anyone, such as a restaurant, that you are vaccinated.
For vaccinations that have two doses, the date displayed in the app is the most recent dose. I had my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on March 12, 2021, and my second dose on April 2, 2021, so the app displays the April 2 date.
The person at the restaurant can either read the words on your iPhone screen, or better yet, that person can use the LA Wallet app on their own iPhone to verify your status. They tap the Scan button to put the app into scan mode, which turns on the camera in the app. As soon as the camera on their iPhone sees the QR code being displayed on your iPhone, the other person can see on their iPhone verification that you are vaccinated and when:
I did make a copy of my vaccination card and laminate it just in case I ever need to use it, but I don't always have that with me. On the other hand, my iPhone is always with me, so that means that my proof of vaccination is always with me too.
Unfortunately, simply confirming that the people around you are vaccinated may not be enough to protect you from the coronavirus because of the Delta variant. The science is changing rapidly as we learn more about the coronavirus, but the latest research shows that "vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant carry tremendous amounts of the virus in the nose and throat" and thus "[p]eople with so-called breakthrough infections — cases that occur despite full vaccination — of the Delta variant may be just as contagious as unvaccinated people, even if they have no symptoms." Apoorva Mandavilli, Behind the Masks, a Mystery: How Often Do the Vaccinated Spread the Virus?, N.Y. Times, July 29, 2021. Fortunately, breakthrough infections are rare, and if infection does happen, you are much less likely to have a serious illness or die if you are vaccinated, but even if your own symptoms are minor you still need to worry about passing it on to your loved ones who are more vulnerable.
In March of 2020, as a result of Mardi Gras, New Orleans became one of the first metropolitan areas in the United States with high infection rates. Nowadays, New Orleans has the highest rate of vaccinations in Louisiana. According to the latest data, almost 60% of the total New Orleans population is vaccinated, and of the population eligible to be vaccinated, 73% have at least the first shot and 65% are fully vaccinated. But the rest of Louisiana is dismissal; with only 37% of the population fully vaccinated, the state is #47 in the United States. And as a result of the large population of unvaccinated people, Louisiana now has more COVID-related hospitalizations than any prior time during the pandemic, more new cases than ever, and Louisiana hospitals have are losing their ability to care for people with heart attacks, injuries from car accidents, and other health conditions. It's a serious crisis, leading our governor to reissue a statewide mask mandate earlier this week.
I wish I could say that by using an app and confirming that you are only around people who are vaccinated, there would be nothing else to worry about in Louisiana. As the last few paragraphs show, unfortunately, that is not the case. Nevertheless, ensuring that people around you are vaccinated does make a huge difference, even it does not provide 100% protection, so the LA Wallet app (like similar apps) offers one more tool in the fight against COVID-19. I'm glad that we have this capability in Louisiana, and I hope to see similar apps in many more states.
Click here to get LA Wallet (free): 
