Digital health passport launches in South Africa
Health Passport South Africa — a mobile app solution that offers quick delivery of COVID-19 test results — is now available locally.
The platform is meant to help increase the safety of local events and streamline travel.
It’s the work of the Irish tech company ROQU Group, which focuses on facilitating COVID-19 testing for people and businesses. The app has been in use for the last six months in countries such as the US, Ireland, Germany, and Kenya. Health Passport Worldwide founder Robert Quirke said the app’s local introduction would be a huge boost to revitalising tourism.
“You can imagine that overnight a global tourism industry closed down, airports — like Cape Town International that sees 11 million passengers a year — shut down, and with a 90% drop in international traffic,” he said in a statement.
“This, coupled with jobs losses that left families with no hope on
the horizon for over a year, spurring the need to get life back on track
again.”
Health Passport sends users’ COVID-19 test results straight to their mobile devices. It bypasses the need for paper documents when users are travelling and decreases the chances of fraud, according to the company.
The app allows officials to scan a QR code on the traveller’s phone to check if they have been tested or vaccinated. The app can also help event companies decrease the risk for attendees.
To demonstrate this, Health Passport was used at a Cape Town live music event in December called Recharge 2020. Attendees received Rapid Antigen tests on the day. They then downloaded the app to receive their results. The results were then scanned before entry by the organisers.
Health Passport South Africa has also opened its flagship testing centre at The Lookout Waterfront in Cape Town. The centre offers both PCR and Rapid Antigen tests. It can test up to 275 people per hour, the company says.
In the event of increased demand, the centre can expand to test 550 people per hour.
Health Passport South Africa is currently enrolling other COVID-19 testing centres across the country to expand the use of the app.
