SICPA and ELCA to deliver vaccine certification technology for Swiss federal government

SICPA and its partner ELCA have announced their selection by the Swiss federal government to develop a vaccine certificate system for Swiss citizens.

This marks a significant step forward in the rollout of national Covid certification systems, which are being actively considered by countries around the world including the UK. It is expected that this system will be ready for deployment in Switzerland by the end of May.

Working in tandem with Swiss digital transformation specialists ELCA, and with the Swiss Federal Office for Telecommunications and Informatics (OFIT), the consortium will develop a uniform, forgery-proof and internationally compatible vaccine certification solution. This will enable Swiss citizens to receive a certificate verifying that they have either received a Covid vaccination, negative test or have Covid antibodies, in line with federal legislation recently passed in the country.

The SICPA/ELCA solution is based on the expertise of these two companies, whose technologies are already deployed to secure numerous aspects of citizens’ daily lives, in Switzerland and throughout the world. It will be fully interoperable with solutions to be deployed by other countries, including the UK, as well as the World Health Organization’s expected “Smart Vaccination Certificate” and the EU’s “Digital Green Certificate”.

This solution will link with Swiss health authorities to enable the holders to generate a forgery proof QR code using SICPA technology containing the holder’s Covid status information. The QR code can be stored digitally on a smartphone or in a printed version – both with an equally high level of security – which can then be scanned, and the information verified by using a smartphone. The simplicity of the system is designed to help facilitate its adoption in Switzerland and internationally. SICPA’s QR code will be integrated into an existing ELCA app to enable its use by numerous stakeholders, notably health professionals, authorities responsible for health certificate verification, and Swiss citizens.

The solution has personal data protection at its heart. It does not rely on access to any centralised database and all information is stored in the highly secure QR code itself, which avoids any unauthorised access or data manipulation. This unprecedented level of security, integrity, confidentiality and traceability has already resulted in adoption of SICPA’s solution by key players in the Swiss health sector and sectors across the world, including international shipping lines, sports leagues and airlines.

Philippe Amon, Chairman and CEO of SICPA said: “Supporting Switzerland and her citizens in the current health crisis is a top priority. The cutting-edge solution we are proposing to the Swiss authorities with our partner ELCA is something that we can all be proud of and can serve as a model for Covid certification systems in other nations across the globe.”

Cedric Moret, Chair and CEO of ELCA said: “Bringing together the ELCA and SICPA solutions allows us to rapidly put in place a safe and effective solution for all Swiss citizens. We are honored to be able to help Switzerland to find a swift exit from the crisis.”

The reliability and flexibility of the SICPA/ELCA solution, together with the competencies of the OFIT is designed to help allow citizens to travel once again, to visit their families and friends, to pursue leisure activities. It will allow citizens to return to a degree of normal life while maintaining trust, a core value for both SICPA and ELCA.

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