The outbreak of the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the process of digital transformation in all areas. In times of social distancing and isolation, technology became an ally of governments, companies and citizens. It was able to bring solutions, tools and methods that offered a significant amount of security to humanity in check and helped to overcome challenges that until recently were difficult to imagine.
In this sense, the experience of the agreement on "Digital Identity in the COVID-19 Vaccination Process", which united Central American governments with VU Security, a multinational company specialized in fraud prevention and identity protection, is very interesting and motivating, as it shows how cybersecurity offers strategic, secure and simple answers to some of the core issues facing society today.
Kennedy Roman, Regional Director for the Caribbean and Central America at VU Security, explains how solutions were adopted from the most regulated business, which is banking, to accompany the citizen in the vaccination process, certifying security from the moment of identification of people to "pharmacovigilance", a very significant element that pharmaceutical companies have already put on the table. At the same time, the nexus between governments and the technology industry was strengthened.
From the safety of his or her home, the citizen was invited to complete the process of registering for vaccination, accepting the terms and conditions, among other steps, by accessing a registration platform: "We rely on our biometric applications. The citizen simply enters his or her identity number, takes a selfie, and completes a questionnaire of questions validated by medical institutions worldwide. They communicate if they suffer from any chronic disease or allergies, where they live, estimated date for vaccinations, among other data". From this information, the segmentation, order of priority, interest groups and health conditions of the citizenship is established; the appointment for vaccination is generated; and subsequently the evolution and possible side effects of each person are monitored.
Kennedy Roman adds: "Digital identity is the basis for the construction of this process. In addition to validating the citizen, it is related to the batch of vaccine applied and the pharmacovigilance strategy and monitoring of side effects is developed. The process is born digital and stays digital. This has changed the entire system of vaccination programs, which was manual". He emphasizes that it was possible to generate flows for all segments: "Many governments were hesitant about the digital process in places with technology gaps and connectivity issues. However, through different platforms, citizens can authenticate and enroll. With a basic mobile device, anyone can become an enrollment multiplier, helping family members, neighbors, co-workers.
The community is united in this pandemic. The focus of cybersecurity is to make the world safer, simpler and, especially, that the benefits that the digital universe brings reach the entire community.
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