With mandate in effect, CLEAR app gets official OK in Seattle area as vaccine verification method

The CLEAR app contains a health passport on the left which is used to check the COVID-19 vaccination. (CLEAR app images)

As the new Public Health – Seattle & King County policy requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter certain businesses goes into effect today, digital verification methods are expected to gain popularity.

Customers 12 and older must have a full vaccination or a negative COVID test to attend outdoor public events of 500 or more people and access indoor facilities such as bars, restaurants, gyms, and more.

Instead of fumbling in a wallet for paper proof of a vaccination card or scrolling through a smartphone photo library for a photo, some apps streamline the process.

CLEAR, the New York-based identity company has been approved by Public Health as a trusted tool for vaccine verification in the Seattle area. A digital vaccination card can be created using the free CLEAR app (iOS and Android). The company has already partnered with professional Seattle sports teams including the Seahawks, Sounders FC and Kraken.

Fans lined up at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, where the CLEAR app was approved as a method of vaccination verification. (GeekWire photo / Kurt Schlosser)

CLEAR is also available to travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and uses biometric data such as eye or fingerprint scans for faster movement through security. And at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, fans can use CLEAR on certain concession lines.

“The Seattle Metro Chamber strongly and actively supports vaccination because we know it is the way out of this pandemic and an equitable economic recovery,” said Rachel Smith, President and CEO of the Chamber, in a press release. “Tools like CLEAR’s Health Pass are a critical part of how we can safely do many of the activities we love, whether it’s eating out at a restaurant, exercising in the gym, or helping our local sports teams.”

New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles are among the major US metropolises that have also recognized CLEAR as a trustworthy tool.

Users who download the CLEAR app can create a digital vaccine by verifying their identity by uploading pictures of a document such as a Washington state driver’s license and then taking a selfie. The app’s technology compares the selfie with the ID picture.

David Geller, a Seattle-based tech entrepreneur and investor, has developed his own digital vaccine verification solution called MyQRCard.

“I needed a way to keep track of business cards and easily share them,” Geller told GeekWire. “And I started seeing a lot of Facebook ads for NFC business cards – the kind you tap to see contact information. So I developed my own solution. “

Geller, who volunteers vaccines with Eastside Fire and Rescue, also added a vaccine template. He’s used it, for example, to successfully board an international flight and have breakfast in Seattle.

“The couple in front of me had to show their CDC cards and then pull out their wallets to verify identity,” said Geller of his dining experience. “When I shared my card with MyQRCard.app, the hostess saw the card along with my name and photo and just said ‘cool’ and I was done!”

Geller has developed a function that the QR code associated with the card only works for 5 minutes at a time. If someone shared their vaccine information via QR code, the link would automatically break itself.

A blog post about Geller’s creation is here, and users can sign up here to create a digital map.

The King County Health Department first announced evidence of the vaccination schedule on September 16. Health officials said they will review the guideline again within six months to see if it is still required and to extend it based on future outbreak conditions.