The emergence and rapid spread of the coronavirus Omicron variant has provided politicians, bureaucrats and medical monarchs with the chance to extend the draconian powers amassed during the initial COVID outbreak. And existing technology in the form of bio-chips might prove the next step down a slippery slope already being paved by the slow creep of compliance with vaccine mandates.
The country, according to Covid Czar Anthony Fauci, cannot afford complacency, despite Omicron cases presenting as far less severe than the Delta variant.
“(Omicron) could still stress our hospital system because a certain proportion of a large volume of cases, no matter what, are going to be severe,” Fauci said.
With that serving as adequate cover, an increasing number of cities have moved from simply mandating vaccines and masks to requiring businesses and citizens in their states provide actual proof of vaccine status to take part in everyday life.
Want to go to a restaurant with the family and kids? How about a trip to the gym, or a night at the movies? Better have your proof of vaccine handy, or risk arrest.
Fortunately, a quick and easy solution is already at hand — literally.
“Imagine showing your Covid-19 passport with just a flash of your arm,” reported South China Morning Post. “This Swedish company says it has a chip that can hold information about your vaccination status. It’s so small, you can embed it into your arm.”
Beep boop beep: Your vaccination record has been verified ? pic.twitter.com/dpAkSCudxf
— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) December 17, 2021
The chips aren’t yet for public sale, but at the Stockholm-based company that developed the implants, employees already have passkeys implanted in their hands. The company, Epicenter, has become known for throwing parties when employees get “chipped,” reported the Daily Mail.
The chip uses near-field communication (NFC), and can send data to any NFC-compatible device, such as a smartphone. The technology is not new, but use in humans has grown popular in the last decade.
The idea of using bio-tech chips for electronic vaccine passports might seem sci-fi insane, but Connecticut Democrat Gov. Ned Lamont, fed up with the inefficiencies of mask and vax mandates that are difficult to enforce, appears headed down that path.
Lamont said he wants to set up digital health cards – vaccine passports – in his state.
“What I want to do is get that digital health card [and] make it available to every single business, restaurant, store,” Lamont said.
“Let them make the right decision in terms of allowing people into their facility,” Lamont said, with no doubt what he thinks that “right decision” should be.
“Letting them have the information [that] if a person’s unvaccinated, they’ve got to wear a mask,” he explained. “I don’t think we need more mandates than that.”
