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Clearwater company develops mobile Covid vaccine passport, inks deal in Mexico

Veronica Brezina

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vaccine
Covid vaccine

Clearwater-based health tech company USHealthPass has entered a deal with the VisitMexico USA marketing group for its app that can certify if a person had Covid-19 and recovered, and if someone is vaccinated. 

USHealthPass, a health care technology provider in biometric solutions; Braintivity, a private tourism company mandated by the Mexican government to handle the digital assets; and VisitMexico USA have recently partnered together to create a health pass verification for travelers headed to Mexico. 

“Initially, we thought about health passports to show who has Covid and we thought the spread of Covid would end soon, but it didn’t and there was the whole movement of when the vaccines rolled out,” USHealthPass President Peter Gallic said about the evolution of the product.

USHealthPass works in partnership with Clearwater-based NAHA Health and is based out of its office. 

Gallic explained that the immunization information systems, which provide records to patients and authorized professionals, can be slow in processing new information and that the paper vaccination passports, which can be faked and produced widely. 

“Information can be misleading as some people may have had Covid and could be immune or didn’t get a vaccination. We wanted to build a rational program that had details about the person’s medical information,” Gallic said. “When we first came into the market with this app, we immediately started dealing with Mexico and at the same time, we were talking to colleges because a lot of colleges are mandating that everyone needs to get vaccinated and they are getting pushback.” 

He didn’t disclose the financial details of the deal with VisitMexico, but said the partnership was formed after a person on the VisitMexico board, who had a previous relationship with Gallic 15 years ago, was looking for a solution – as Mexico is expected to see millions of travelers over the next five months. 

“Following our strategy to promote Mexico as a destination and attract travelers in a reliable and safe way, we are excited to announce this alliance that will help travelers have the confidence while making their traveling decisions to Mexico’s most wanted destinations,” Carlos Gonzalez Gonzalez, general director of VisitMexico, said in a prepared statement. 

As a result of the partnership, Gallic has become the Chairman of the Visit México Health Board. 

The passport, called PassID, is powered by PROVEN, a secure, digital tool that allows organizations to safely confirm the health status of travelers, employees and customers. The health tool is secure and is only seen by licensed healthcare professionals, according to the announcement. 

The USHealthPass powered by PROVEN.

Key features of the MyPassID App include verified Covid-19 vaccine credentials, Covid-19 symptom/contact tracing, and additional capabilities to use thermal imaging and biometric screening. All personal health information is kept secure and confidential, and the software integrates into systems such as travel reservation databases to provide verification before travel or events. 

The mobile app works on iPhone and Android devices and displays a QR code that confirms the user’s name, birthday and time stamp of health clearance.

Gallic said he is currently in talks with airlines, health care institutions and entertainment venues to partner with.

USHealthPass currently has 20 employees based in Clearwater and plans to hire 70 to 80 more employees over the next six months, for positions ranging from software development to sales. 

He said the company is self-funded but may seek outside funding to grow. 

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