Small Victories

NHS Quietly Shuts Down the Covid Pass

Hooray - the National Health Service (NHS) have finally closed their COVID Pass Service! It closed on Monday 4 December but you were lucky if you heard about it as it was never going to be announced on the 6 o’clock news!

It should have been announced loudly and proudly, so I’ll do it here instead. Good riddance to a useless and discriminatory waste of tax payers money.

The Pass was developed and introduced by the NHS in 2021. It served as a digital tool to facilitate the verification of an individual's COVID-19 status. This draconian tool streamlined the process of showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination, test results, or recovery from the virus, primarily for international travel and access to certain domestic venues and events that required such verification.

As with many other schemes during the pandemic, the development of the Pass was a a giant waste of time and money. It claimed to leverage technology to support public health measures, such as ensuring that individuals attending large gatherings or traveling across borders were less likely to contribute to the spread of the virus. In reality it was all a load of discriminatory BS. Whether it was intended to or not, it created the infrastructure for a medical apartheid, allowing vaccinated individuals to participate in society.

The pass was made available through the NHS app and website. Offering a convenient digital format that could be accessed via smartphones meant it was less likely to be challenged. Most people don’t care about freedom unless it is inconvenient for them. For those without access to digital devices, a paper version of the pass was also available.

As with many Covid Passes around the world it was built in alignment with international standards, which ensured its wide acceptance for international travel. This alignment allowed travel for UK citizens during the pandemic, further encouraging vaccination. The pass displayed information such as the type of COVID-19 vaccine received, the date of vaccination, and the results of recent COVID-19 tests.

The development and maintenance of the NHS COVID Pass involved costs related to software development, integration with existing health record systems, data security measures, and ongoing updates and support. These costs were part of the government's broader expenditure to combat the pandemic. A number of groups have tried to obtain figures through FOIAs on how much the Pass cost but they have been led down the garden path each time.

However, I call it a small victory because whilst it is great that the Pass has gone, nobody talks about Covid anymore so it is easy to retire. In reality a huge amount of money has been spent on an infrastructure that aligns with international standards and works seamlessly in other countries. I would not be in the least surprised if the Pass was brought back in the very near future under a different name. Digital Identity? Digital Wallet? EU Pass? WHO Pass? Carbon Allowance Pass?

Though this triumph may be modest and likely short-lived, it is a Saturday so tonight we shall celebrate this victory, however small it may be!