• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Our Services
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Top Nav Social Icons

FindBiometrics

FindBiometrics

Global Identity Management

  • Biometrics
    • What are Biometrics?
    • FAQ
    • Biometric Associations
    • Companies
    • Premier Partners
  • News
    • Featured Articles
    • Interviews
    • Thought Leadership
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
    • Year in Review
  • Applications
    • Biometric Security
    • Border Control and Airport Biometrics
    • Consumer and Residential Biometrics
    • Financial Biometrics
    • Fingerprint & Biometric Locks
    • Healthcare Biometrics
    • Justice and Law Enforcement Biometrics
    • Logical Access Control Biometrics
    • Mobile Biometrics
    • Other Biometric Applications
    • Physical Access Control Biometrics
    • Biometric Time and Attendance
  • Solutions
    • Behavioral Biometrics
    • Biometric Sensors and Detectors
    • Facial Recognition
    • Biometric Fingerprint Readers
    • Hand Readers & Finger Scanners
    • Iris Recognition
    • Biometric Middleware and Software
    • Multimodal Biometrics
    • Physiological Biometrics
    • Smart Cards
    • Vein Recognition
    • Voice and Speech Recognition
  • Stocks
  • Events
  • Companies
  • Podcasts

Healthcare Biometrics Month: The Fight Against COVID-19

March 4, 2021

March is Healthcare Biometrics Month at FindBiometrics, during which we’ll deliver in-depth features, expert analysis, insightful dialogue on our ID Talk podcast, and more. We’ve turned our focus to the exciting space of healthcare biometrics in the past, but this year the area is more salient than ever, for reasons that are, unfortunately, all too obvious to readers around the world. So we’re going to kick things off by looking squarely at the elephant in the room, and examining how biometrics and related technologies are helping organizations around the world to adapt to – and mitigate – the spread of COVID-19.

Virus-Detecting Wearables

Healthcare Biometrics Month: The Fight Against COVID-19

One of the most direct ways in which biometrics are being used to fight the virus is in the use of wearable devices to look for signs of infection. Though it may seem far-fetched, the idea that wearable devices equipped with biometric sensors could detect possible COVID-19 infection seems to have some real merit, and researchers were relatively quick to explore the idea after the onset of the pandemic in early 2020. As early as April, healthcare workers in Silicon Valley were wearing biometric smart rings to see if they could detect the early signs of infection, and academic researchers were getting curious about the prospect too.

Before long, the military got involved, launching a study in June that would look at whether biometric smart rings and even a Garmin fitness-tracking smart watch could detect the the signs of illness up to 48 hours before soldiers even felt symptoms. Results from such studies have been promising enough that the US Army awarded a major contract to FitBit for COVID-detecting wearable technology in November, as part of an advancing research program.

COVID-detecting wearable technology is still far from mainstream, of course. But it offers a striking illustration of how biometrics could have a profound impact in our efforts to fight the virus, and potentially save lives in a very direct and tangible way.

Verifying Immunity Credentials

IDEMIA big box

Another important area in which biometric technology is starting to play a role in the fight against COVID-19 is the rise of immunity credentials. Also referred to as “immunity passports”, such credentials would theoretically be used by individuals to prove that they aren’t infected with the virus in order to access various services. It’s a sometimes controversial idea, and it isn’t yet clear how big a role such credentials will play as more parts of the global economy reopen, but immunity credentials could end up being one important strand in the effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and its variants.

To function effectively, immunity credentials need to be reliably tied to the individuals presenting them. This is where biometrics come into play. Before the end of spring last year, major names like CLEAR and Onfido had already announced the development of immunity credentials that use selfie-based facial recognition to verify the identities of users, who would be able to present authorities with mobile-based confirmation of negative test results.

More recent solutions, like TECH5’s Proof of Vaccination credential and World Health Access’s VAX Passbooks and Passcards, have emphasized user privacy, leveraging biometrics to ensure that an end user’s vaccination status can be confirmed without the need to share additional personal information. Notably, the latter uses fingerprint biometrics, demonstrating that the highly popular selfie-based approach isn’t the only viable option for immunity credential confirmation.

Further Experimentation

Healthcare Biometrics Month: The Fight Against COVID-19
Register Now!

Virus-detecting wearables and biometric immunity passports are two of the most prominent new applications of biometrics in the fight against COVID, but there’s a range of other approaches being taken to help integrate COVID screening into real-world environments.

For example, a partnership between TensorMark, Vuzix, and University Hospitals last year sought to enable the real-time sharing of COVID-19 test results through various devices, including face-scanning smart glasses. Another collaborative effort, meanwhile, combined Unisys’s biometric identity management technology with Inspire Health Alliance’s COVID-19 testing machines to protect sensitive data. And IDEMIA and New Zealand’s Orbis Diagnostics recently teamed up on a travel screening solution that would enable rapid COVID-19 testing during travel screening.

All of the above help to illustrate the kind of innovation that the biometrics industry can offer in the broader effort to protect people from the threat of COVID-19. And while the virus may be the most pressing concern at present, there’s plenty more to say about how biometric technology is making an impact in other ways in the field of healthcare. Stay tuned to FindBiometrics as we bring further insight on this topic as Healthcare Biometrics Month continues in the weeks to come, culminating in an expert webinar for which registration is now open.

*

Healthcare Biometrics Month is sponsored by IDEMIA, TECH5, and Veratad.

–

March 4, 2021 – by Alex Perala

Related News

  • BioIntelliSense Raises $45M Thanks to Excitement Over Health-tracking WearablesBioIntelliSense Raises $45M Thanks to Excitement Over Health-tracking Wearables
  • Aloe Care Health Embraces Biometric Wearables for Remote CareAloe Care Health Embraces Biometric Wearables for Remote Care
  • Carium Provides Biometric Remote Patient Monitoring System for Perfect CareCarium Provides Biometric Remote Patient Monitoring System for Perfect Care
  • BioIntelliSense Provides Health Wearables for Anelto RPM PlatformBioIntelliSense Provides Health Wearables for Anelto RPM Platform
  • BioIntelliSense Unveils Rechargeable BioButtonBioIntelliSense Unveils Rechargeable BioButton
  • Medical Wearables Interest Surging in Wake of Pandemic: ReportMedical Wearables Interest Surging in Wake of Pandemic: Report

Filed Under: Featured Articles, Features Tagged With: Biometric, biometric wearables, biometrics, COVID screening, HealthCare, healthcare biometrics, healthcare biometrics month, Healthcare Biometrics Month 2021, immunity credentials, wearables

Primary Sidebar

EXCLUSIVE MEMBERS ONLY CONTENT:

Become a FindBiometrics Member and gain easy access to specialty content, including the ID Tech column, replays of virtual events, and Identity School educational checklists:

The Tech Bubble Is Bursting. VCs Are Nervous. What Does That Mean for Biometrics?

Identity School: Facial Recognition Cheat Sheet

REPLAY: Travel & Hospitality Virtual Identity Summit

Sponsored Links

TECH5 showcase logo

TECH5 is an international technology company founded by experts from the biometrics industry, which focuses on developing disruptive biometric and digital ID solutions through the application of AI and Machine Learning technologies.

TECH5 target markets include both Government and Private sectors with products powering Civil ID, Digital ID, as well as authentication solutions that deliver identity assurance for various use cases. 

Learn more: www.tech5.ai

cmitech logo

CMITech is a leading provider of high performance, cost effective iris recognition systems. The company is setting the industry standard for advanced user interfaces that are fast, intuitive and effortless. Serving enrollment and authentication solutions of all sizes, CMITech systems include binoculars-type, wall mount, desktop, and kiosk-type product configurations.

Onfido logo

Onfido is building the new identity standard for the internet.Our AI-based technology assesses whether a user’s government-issued ID is genuine or fraudulent, and then compares it against their facial biometrics. That’s how we give companies like Revolut, Zipcar and Bitstamp the assurance they need to onboard customers remotely and securely. Our mission is to create a more open world, where identity is the key to access.. For more information, please visit www.onfido.com

ThreatMark brings trust to the digital world by providing cutting-edge fraud prevention solutions. Major banks use ThreatMark’s AI-powered technology and behavioral biometrics to build secured banking experience to precisely verify their legitimate users, seamlessly across all digital channels. All while securing the users’ most precious assets and keeping the fraudsters away. Learn more: www.threatmark.com/

With its secunet border gears product portfolio and specialised consulting expertise, secunet supports police forces and security authorities in their sovereign tasks. Whether ABC gates, self-service kiosks or biometric middleware – each component helps to strengthen identity protection and to accelerate verification – in mobile and stationary scenarios.

Mobile ID World Logo

Mobile ID World is here to bring you the latest in mobile authentication solutions and application providers. Our company is dedicated to providing users with the best content and cutting edge information on technology, news, and mobile solutions for your mobile identity management needs.

Recent Posts

  • Onfido Gears Up for Fintech Nexus 2022
  • Insight Partners Forecasts $4.82 Billion Voice Biometrics Market
  • Onfido Finds Identity Fraud is Personal for Most People
  • Parsons to Acquire Xator, Adding State Department to Client Roster and Bolstering Biometrics Portfolio
  • Clearview AI Enters the Selfie Authentication Market

Biometric Associations

IBIA and fido

Tweets

Footer

  • About Us
  • Company Directory
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Archives
  • CCPA: Do not sell my personal info.

Follow Us

Copyright © 2022 FindBiometrics