LeaveHomeSafe app and e-wallets to hold jab records

The government said on Sunday it would allow people to store their electronic Covid-19 vaccination records on the LeaveHomeSafe app for greater convenience, but noted it would be up to people as to whether they wished to do so.

It noted there had been nearly 4.4 million downloads of the app despite earlier privacy concerns, which the government gave reassurances over.

Currently, people can store the e-certificate on other government apps, such as iAM Smart and eHealth.

Innovation and technology minister Alfred Sit said it was in the process of adding the extra storage function to the LeaveHomeSafe app.

In addition, he said the government would soon allow people to store their record on the Apple wallet of iPhones, and it was in discussions to have similar arrangements for users of Android phones.

“It’s like having a boarding pass or a credit card in your iOS mobile wallet, it’s equally convenient,” the minister wrote on social media.

He said people should keep their records secure, and not post them on social media or lend or borrow from others.

For his part, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung welcomed the incentives provided by the business sector to get more people inoculated.

“Recently, developers have, on its [sic] own initiative put a residential unit up for a lucky draw among people who have been vaccinated. This act should be recognised… as it demonstrates their corporate social responsibility,” he wrote on his online blog.

Cheung said it was worrying that Hong Kong’s vaccination rate was less than 20 percent.

He said people should get inoculated as soon as possible if they didn’t want to live through repeated waves of Covid infections.