Tracking COVID-19 Variant Omicron

On November 28, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a technical brief regarding the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529, also known as Omicron, which is currently designated as a variant of concern. See this post for additional discussion on the classification of variants. The WHO stated, “Omicron is a highly divergent variant with a high number of mutations, including 26-32 in the spike, some of which are concerning and may be associated with immune escape potential and higher transmissibility.”

Currently there are no confirmed cases of Omicron in the United States, but it is simply a matter of time before that happens. If you are interested in tracking the spread of the Omicron variant, check out the Omicron Tracker at BNO News.

It presents confirmed and probable cases of Omicron. Here’s a list of the top 10 countries ranked by the number of confirmed cases, as of 7:00 PM Pacific on November 29, 2021:

You can also track the Omicron variant on the BNO News Twitter feed. Stay safe earthlings!

COVID-19 Vaccination Record in Apple Wallet

I previously wrote about SafePass LA and briefly discussed why I prefer to store my COVID-19 vaccination record in Apple Wallet. In this post, I’d like to show you how you can get your COVID-19 vaccination record into Apple Wallet. There are 2 methods that I know of.

Method 1: Healthvana

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health partnered with Healthvana in December of 2020 to provide digital vaccination records as discussed here. A couple weeks after I received my 2nd Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, I received a text message from Healthvana. It contained a URL that allowed me to view a digital record of my vaccination:

After entering some information to confirm my identity, I was shown my COVID-19 vaccine record and presented with an option to add it to my Apple Wallet.

If you did not receive a text message or email from Healthvana, and if you received your COVID-19 vaccination in the county of Los Angeles, you can contact Healthvana and request your COVID-19 digital vaccination record. In the “What is your question about?” field, select “COVID-19 Vaccination” and complete the rest of the form. When I did this for my wife, she received a response later that same day.

Method 2: Vaccination QR Code

If you prefer not to use Healthvana, or if you did not receive your COVID-19 vaccination in the county of Los Angeles, there are other ways to get your COVID-19 vaccination record into Apple Wallet. All you need is a QR code of your vaccination record and an iPhone running iOS 15 or later (at the time of this writing, the current version is iOS 15.1.1).

Step 1 is to get a QR code of your vaccination record. There are at least 2 ways to get a QR code. The first is to retrieve it from your provider. For example, Kaiser Permanente has a portal where patients can login and retrieve immunization history and other parts of one’s medical record. This includes a QR code in SMART Health Card format.

If your provider does not provide a QR code to you, and if you live in the state of California, you can request your digital COVID-19 vaccine record at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov. Simply enter your name, date of birth, your phone number or email, and a 4-digit PIN (any 4 numbers that you want, for the purpose of securely accessing your digital record). After submitting this information, you should soon receive  a text message or email with a link to retrieve your COVID-19 vaccine record which will contain a QR code.

Step 2 is to scan your QR code with your iPhone running iOS 15 or later. Simply launch your camera app and point your rear-facing camera at the QR code. Once your phone recognizes the QR code, it will display a “Health” notification:

Tapping the “Health” notification will take you to the Apple Health app with a prompt to add your COVID-19 vaccination record to Wallet and Health. Here’s what it looked like when I did this for my wife:

Step-by-step instructions, along with other options to add verifiable COVID-19 vaccination information to Apple Wallet and Health, are provided here. Learn more about Apple Wallet here.

Dinosaur Endless Runner Game on Chrome

If you’re looking for something totally unproductive to do, check out the dinosaur endless runner game on Google Chrome. If you disconnect from the internet and search for anything in Google Chrome, you’ll be presented with a “No internet” message with a picture of a dinosaur:

From there, if you press the space bar, you’ll launch an endless runner game where you can press the space bar to jump over obstacles that come your way. It looks like this:

For an easier way to access the game, simply type “chrome://dino” into your address bar in Google Chrome. Happy gaming!

SafePassLA

If you live in or visit the county of Los Angeles, you should be aware of a vaccine verification program called SafePassLA which requires demonstration of proof of full COVID-19 vaccination for certain indoor locations and outdoor events. Examples of covered indoor locations include (but are not limited to):

• Food & Beverage Establishments (e.g., restaurants, fast food establishments, coffee shops, cafeterias, food courts)
• Gyms & Fitness Venues (e.g., yoga, dance studios, hotel gyms, any facility used for indoor fitness classes)
• Entertainment & Recreation Venues (e.g., shopping centers, movie theaters, bowling alleys, sports arenas, convention centers, museums)
• Personal Care Establishments (e.g., spas, hair/nail salons, barber shops)
• Indoor City Facilities (e.g., city hall, senior centers, recreation centers)

Additionally, for outdoor event venues, events with 5,000 to 9,999 attendees will require proof of vaccination OR a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of entry.

SafePassLA launched yesterday (November 8, 2021) with a focus on outreach and education. Enforcement will begin November 29, 2021. I would not be surprised if enforcement will be spotty, especially with small business owners who may not have the staffing to provide such enforcement, but you should be prepared in case you are asked to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Whatever you do, don’t be this guy.

To demonstrate proof of COVID-19 vaccination, you can certainly carry your white Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination card with you, but there are other options that may be more convenient for you, especially if you carry your cell phone with you everywhere you go. One such option is to take a picture of your CDC vaccination card and store it on your phone. Another option is to use one of several mobile phone apps that provide digital vaccination records as listed here by the LA County Department of Public Health. Approved digital vaccination records are those made by Healthvana, Carbon Health, CommonPass, CLEAR Health Pass, and VaxYes.

I previously wrote about COVID-19 Digital Health Credentials, and I illustrated how you can add your Healthvana COVID-19 vaccination record to Apple Wallet. That will be my preferred method of showing proof of vaccination because it is convenient, and it will work even if I don’t have internet connectivity. As a backup, I already have my COVID-19 vaccination credentials loaded into CLEAR Health Pass, and I also have photo backups of my CDC vaccination card in Google Photos and as attachments in my personal email.