Businesses Setting Up Vaccination Verification Systems

Businesses and workplace facilities are scrambling to set up secure systems to verify workers’ COVID-19 vaccination status, following President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for companies with 100 employees or more, The Hill reports.

Many companies are considering digital platforms to ensure employees comply with the forthcoming rule. ReturnSafe, a startup that helps companies track workers’ vaccination and testing status through a phone app, received a 76% increase in inquiries following the president’s vaccine mandate announcement, mostly from firms with more than 1,000 employees.

Employers are also looking into digital vaccine cards that have been implemented in several states as part of the Vaccination Credential Initiative, a partnership that includes tech and health care leaders such as Microsoft Corp. and the Mayo Clinic.

Domenique Camacho Moran, an employment attorney in New York City, said she is advising companies to provide multiple methods for employees to verify vaccine status by using a digital platform or the COVID-19 vaccine card they received after the shots.

The Biden administration’s rule will require companies with 100 or more workers to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing. Businesses that don’t comply with the rule could face fines up to US $14,000 per violation.

The White House has not yet clarified key details of the new requirements, such as how companies should verify an employee’s vaccination status or whether the federal government will pick up the tab on testing, creating uncertainty among employers on how to move forward.