Walmart to provide digital vaccine record access

Customers at Walmart and Sam's Clubs may soon be able verify that they have been vaccinated for COVID-19 by showing an app on their smartphones.

Walmart is partnering with an identity verification platform and a digital non-profit to provide customers with access to their health records, including COVID-19 vaccine information. The discount giant will use the open, interoperable SMART Health Cards standard being developed under the Vaccination Credential Initiative, co-chaired by non-profit public trust The Commons Project Foundation.Secure digital access to health records, including their vaccination records, will be available to customers vaccinated at Walmart and Sam’s Club through the Health Pass by CLEAR app and TCP’s CommonHealth and CommonPass apps. The platforms are free to users who choose to use them in order to verify their vaccine status.

“Our goal is to give customers vaccinated at Walmart free and secure digital access to their vaccine record and enable them to share that information with third parties seeking to confirm their vaccination status,” said John Furner, CEO and president, Walmart U.S. “We are proud to be the first retailer to strategically partner with both The Commons Project Foundation and CLEAR, and we look forward to working with them to empower people with digital access to their vaccination records so they can use them whenever and however they choose.”

The Health Pass by CLEAR app securely connects a person's verified identity to multiple layers of COVID-19-related health information TCP’s CommonHealth is a free Android app for uses to collect and manage their personal health data and share it with trusted partners. TCP’s CommonPass is a free mobile app for users to access their COVID-19 test results and vaccination record. CommonPass is also being integrated with CLEAR’s secure identity platform to enable users to verify their vaccination status in public places.

Through a free digital account at Walmart and Sam’s Club, customers will have access to their prescription history and other health care information from Walmart. This information can also be provided in paper form at their local Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacy.

Individuals will create a free digital account on the Walmart or Sam’s Club app to schedule an appointment to receive a vaccination. They can also choose to download the CLEAR, CommonHealth or CommonPass app, create an account, and join their services for free. Users then sign into their Walmart or Sam’s Club account and agree to share their vaccination history with the verification app they have chosen, and authenticate their vaccine status with Walmart or Sam’s Club account credentials. 

Customers can download the apps now and will soon be able to validate Walmart vaccine credentials in real-time at locations. To enable this technology, Walmart and Sam’s Club have created systems that will allow vaccine status to be stored within the company’s proprietary apps and also interface with secure third-party apps.