Digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates in Malaysia and Singapore are secured by blockchain technology and come with a traceability feature that tells the exact batch of the vaccine vial used for inoculation.
Malaysian Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said this in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Mar 23), after meeting with Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Putrajaya.
"Both Malaysia and Singapore are using blockchain technology for this purpose (to issue their vaccine certificates)," said Khairy.
"Cooperation between both nations is important to ensure interoperability between the two systems, taking into account standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and other countries."
Both ministers also discussed Malaysia and Singapore's national immunisation plans, the exchange of best practices and how this could facilitate cross-border travel between both countries in the near future.
Dr Balakrishnan arrived in Malaysia last Tuesday for a two-day visit.
During his trip, he also called on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and met his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein.
In a joint press conference after both foreign ministers met last Tuesday, Dr Balakrishnan said operational details on a proposed mutual recognition of vaccine certificates between Malaysia and Singapore will be finalised soon, before the next leaders' retreat.
The 10th Leaders' Retreat will be hosted by Singapore this year.
“Currently, we are looking specifically for mutual recognition of the certification as well as the tests, so that we can rely on each other’s certifications with the view to facilitate cross-border flows, especially people who have been tested and vaccinated and can travel safely," said Dr Balakrishnan at the press conference last Tuesday.
“We hope by the time our prime ministers meet, we can make a significant announcement which will allow those of us with families on both sides of the Causeway to meet again, to allow businesses to resume, which will allow safe tourism and we can hopefully look forward to a more busy Causeway,” he said.
Source: Bernama/CNA/aj(gs)
