51 Countries Can Access the WHO's Global Digital Health Certification Network

The European Commission (EC) recently confirmed it will facilitate the uptake of the EU Digital COVID certificate by the World Health Organization (WHO) and contribute to its operation and further development.

The EU Digital COVID certificate has been issued to over 2.3 billion people.

This means about fifty-one countries can begin accessing the WHO's Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) on July 1, 2023.

This global verification of health document system is designed to deliver better health for all.

The GDHCN's digital capabilities may include verification of vaccinations and prescriptions across country borders, verification of vaccination certificates within borders, the International Patient Summary, and certification of public health professionals through the WHO Academy.

And these capabilities include using EU privacy standards and validating digital signatures to prevent fraud.

However, the WHO will not have access to any underlying personal data, which would continue to be the exclusive domain of national governments.

This digital infrasctrure was initially presented on January 27, 2021, and confirmed in June 2023.

As of July 5, 2023, the U.S. government has not announced its official participation in the GDHCN.