[Rondec]

It's not typically needed, but for example India requests to see proof of a yellow fever vaccine if you come from a country where it is present. I'd guess it's useful to have the passport to keep track or to show to doctors if you get sick abroad.

My point was just that you can 100% keep track of vaccines - and it's done already - without micro-chipping anyone .

True.

The states now run vaccine databases where all vaccines are tracked -- as long as they are given at a physicians office that connects to the database. As you say, you don't have to micro chip the vaccine and in point of fact, that would make the vaccine much more expensive with no particular benefit.

[beholder3]

Here in Germany we get a "vaccination passport" (similar thing in Spain). You get the vaccine shot and the doctor/nurse sticks the label from the vaccine into the passport including the serial number in case that there are problems with the batch. It's not even electronic (although the vaccinations get loaded on your healthcare card AFAIK, you just have the physical booklet so you can show it while traveling etc.)

There's no need to microchip and spreading FUD about it causes real damage because it influences people not to take the shots. About 80% of flu deaths in Spain are of non-vaccinated patients.

The booklet used here in Germany actually is just a variation of the WHO standard: WHO | Note concerning the new WHO booklet which includes the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis
"WHO booklet International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, International Health Regulations (2005)"

Mostly used for international travels, it is helpful as a personal reminder for keeping, flu, MMR and tetanus vaccination active.

[Zooland]

Too many believers in conspiracy theories.

[reeftool]

Too many believers in conspiracy theories.

Conspiracy theory maybe but the technology exists and has been mentioned many many times for various reasons. One of the main ones is security and identification.Another has been missing children. It's true that most of the stuff floating around online about chipping isn't coming from "official" sources but right now, governments are reacting to everything out of fear and not just the pandemic. Their own power is currently being threatened. It's potentially a cheap and easy fix to a perceived problem which would be vaccination proof. It has been suggested here in NY that once a vaccine is available, a proof document that you have been vaccinated would be required to be admitted to places like gyms. Something like that is easily faked and counterfeited.

[Serkevan]

Conspiracy theory maybe but the technology exists and has been mentioned many many times for various reasons. One of the main ones is security and identification.Another has been missing children. It's true that most of the stuff floating around online about chipping isn't coming from "official" sources but right now, governments are reacting to everything out of fear and not just the pandemic. Their own power is currently being threatened. It's potentially a cheap and easy fix to a perceived problem which would be vaccination proof. It has been suggested here in NY that once a vaccine is available, a proof document that you have been vaccinated would be required to be admitted to places like gyms. Something like that is easily faked and counterfeited.

And microchips aren't easily faked and counterfeited? With the same argument, any and all forms of cash, driving licenses and other similar documents are useless.

---------- Post added 06-28-20 at 06:36 AM ----------

The booklet used here in Germany actually is just a variation of the WHO standard: WHO | Note concerning the new WHO booklet which includes the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis
"WHO booklet International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, International Health Regulations (2005)"

Mostly used for international travels, it is helpful as a personal reminder for keeping, flu, MMR and tetanus vaccination active.

Huh, didn't know it was WHO standard. So, we have a more or less worldwide system in place that works and doesn't microchip people. Who would have thought...

[ChrisPlatt]

One of my coworkers was telling me about some bizarre theory she believes that COVID-19 was created to get us all registered somehow. (?)
I didn't wait for her to elaborate with an explanation or further details.
I was relieved when someone else showed up and I could excuse myself from the conversation.

Chris

[slartibartfast01]

One of my coworkers was telling me about some bizarre theory she believes that COVID-19 was created to get us all registered somehow. (?)

I didn't wait for her to elaborate with an explanation or further details.

I was relieved when someone else showed up and I could excuse myself from the conversation.



Chris

That reminds me of a holiday a couple of years ago. We had occasionally talked to another couple during the week and on the final night I had been out trying to get milky way shots. This came up in conversation and he started to lecture me on how aliens built the pyramids

[photoptimist]

One of my coworkers was telling me about some bizarre theory she believes that COVID-19 was created to get us all registered somehow. (?)
I didn't wait for her to elaborate with an explanation or further details.
I was relieved when someone else showed up and I could excuse myself from the conversation.

Chris

LOL!

You should tell her it's too late! If she has a driver's license, social security card, or bank account, she's already registered with the government!

[Just1MoreDave]

Here's my snapshot experience of domestic airline travel. My wife and I flew from Denver to Connecticut last week to clear out her father's house. Southwest has a direct flight, about 3.5 hours long to get there, 4.5 hours return. Masks were required the whole trip. The airports weren't too busy but not empty either. On the way out, I printed paper boarding passes to avoid having my phone out and handing it to people at the airport. On the way back, I put the phone in a ziploc bag, sort of a phone condom. Southwest is only selling enough tickets to fill 2/3ds of the seats so the middle seats can remain empty. They are boarding in groups of 10. No inflight magazine, limited snacks. At Denver they provided alcohol wipes so you could wipe down your plane seat, armrest, tray or whatever. No free wipes on the return flight. It was common on this trip to hear lots of coughing or sneezing in the boarding area or on the plane. Not this time. Mask usage was nearly 100%, maybe 10% of people were cheating at times by wearing it wrong, like not over their nose. Normally the flight is boring but it really sucks to wear a mask for seven hours straight. I wouldn't fly anywhere for fun; it was too stressful.

[MarkJerling]

One of my coworkers was telling me about some bizarre theory she believes that COVID-19 was created to get us all registered somehow. (?)
I didn't wait for her to elaborate with an explanation or further details.
I was relieved when someone else showed up and I could excuse myself from the conversation.

Chris

Ah yes. Tinfoil hat stuff. I had to listen to an otherwise perfectly normal looking man with a fairly decent education level tell me the exact same thing the other day. Apparently, the tracking device will be in the - wait for it - Bill Gates designed vaccine!

[RoxnDox]

So I suspect you'd be really freaked out if you were in this part of the country knowing that, statistically, 30-35% of those masked folks were armed.

Nope, not me. I got nothin' against a (properly trained) carrier.

[mroeder75]

Here's my snapshot experience of domestic airline travel. My wife and I flew from Denver to Connecticut last week to clear out her father's house. Southwest has a direct flight, about 3.5 hours long to get there, 4.5 hours return. Masks were required the whole trip. The airports weren't too busy but not empty either. On the way out, I printed paper boarding passes to avoid having my phone out and handing it to people at the airport. On the way back, I put the phone in a ziploc bag, sort of a phone condom. Southwest is only selling enough tickets to fill 2/3ds of the seats so the middle seats can remain empty. They are boarding in groups of 10. No inflight magazine, limited snacks. At Denver they provided alcohol wipes so you could wipe down your plane seat, armrest, tray or whatever. No free wipes on the return flight. It was common on this trip to hear lots of coughing or sneezing in the boarding area or on the plane. Not this time. Mask usage was nearly 100%, maybe 10% of people were cheating at times by wearing it wrong, like not over their nose. Normally the flight is boring but it really sucks to wear a mask for seven hours straight. I wouldn't fly anywhere for fun; it was too stressful.

Thank you for the report. My 25-year old daughter is in a graduate school physical therapy program in Iowa. We reside in Iowa. She lucked out, before the pandemic, and secured a Tucson internship which starts in her last semester, in January. Tucson is where half of my family of origin resides. I booked a flight for April 2020 which I canceled. I am considering flying with her in January 2021. We are not quite settled on whether we will fly or drive, yet. It is good to receive a report like yours so we can judge what to do. My folks are in their late 80s, and we do not want to do anything that risks infecting them. They are in such good health considering their ages.

[Rondec]

LOL!

You should tell her it's too late! If she has a driver's license, social security card, or bank account, she's already registered with the government!

I think it is funny that people with cell phones would worry about a new way for the government to track them. Seems like they already have something that is easily trackable that they carry with them. The Amish are about the only ones that are "safe" from that perspective and I don't think most of them are on Facebook.

To me, when governments see ballooning numbers, they eventually have to do something. Right now the possible options are these.

1. Do nothing. This is what has been done in Brazil and we have no idea the number of deaths. Even Sweden did some social distancing and limited max gathering size. Seems like a poor option.

2. Shut down businesses. The most dramatic example of this is in China. It is a lot easier for them to do this because they are authoritarian. In the US, this ended up being modified to say the least. Virginia, shut down schools, gyms, bars, and indoor dining, but many people still could go out to their work same as normal. It seems like this isn't a long term option, but certainly in the short run it is often necessary to get a handle on cases.

3. Do aggressive testing and contact tracing. This is what South Korea did. The problem of course, is that US citizens are scared of governments having access to their locations via cell phone trackers. At the same time, it isn't merely enough to identify those who have COVID, the goal should be to isolate those who they have had contact with to prevent continued spread.

This isn't new -- we've done it with sexually transmitted diseases for ages, but having cell phone data should make it easier, but seems to make it scarier.

4. Masks. These seem to be remarkably effective, but of course they need to be worn by a high percentage of the population (like 90 percent) -- even by those who think they are healthy. Once again, there is remarkable push back against these and there seem to be a chunk of people who believe that wearing a mask will do serious damage to their health.

All in all, I feel really discouraged with the American public. They would rather believe conspiracy theories over real truth and are unwilling to do anything that negatively impacts their life in any way, even if it helps their friends and neighbors.

[Serkevan]

4. Masks. These seem to be remarkably effective, but of course they need to be worn by a high percentage of the population (like 90 percent) -- even by those who think they are healthy. Once again, there is remarkable push back against these and there seem to be a chunk of people who believe that wearing a mask will do serious damage to their health.

All in all, I feel really discouraged with the American public. They would rather believe conspiracy theories over real truth and are unwilling to do anything that negatively impacts their life in any way, even if it helps their friends and neighbors.

Coming from an outside perspective: no one I know expected any different. The push back against masks was a foregone -if sad- conclusion.

[scratchpaddy]

3. Do aggressive testing and contact tracing. This is what South Korea did. The problem of course, is that US citizens are scared of governments having access to their locations via cell phone trackers. At the same time, it isn't merely enough to identify those who have COVID, the goal should be to isolate those who they have had contact with to prevent continued spread.

Contact tracing worked so well in South Korea because they jumped on it right away. I remember part of the rationale when most of the U.S. (eventually) shut down was to reduce the case load to a point that it could be tracked. We were supposed to wait until there were just a handful of cases, which would be quickly identified by rigorous testing campaigns and monitored by an army of contact tracers.

Now, after many states chose to open up again before cases actually started to go down, is it even possible to contact trace 40,000 new cases a day?