Beginning Friday, New Yorkers will be able to pull up a QR code on their phones (or printout if you’re into that sort of thing) to show proof of vaccination against the COVID-19 virus or that they’ve been recently tested negative.

It is the first-in-the-nation.

Being dubbed the “Excelsior Pass”, it will be used at large-scale events like at Madison Square Garden.

Next week it will be accepted at a many event and entertainment venues across the state. Of interesting importance, it already allows people to increase the size of a wedding party or other catered event.

The vaccine passport program runs on an IBM blockchain and cross-references patient data with state health records. 

IBM can’t access personally identifiable data, nor can other businesses, which will just need to scan a QR code for vaccination verification. 

Payoff: In order to reenter a world where there is partial vaccination, some sort of program like this will be necessary. I’ve said this to many, that if flashing proof of vaccination was my ticket back into Italy, I’d be first in line. I’d like to think many feel the same. If that holds true, we’ll see plenty of adoption across the country.