QR Codes, Health Passports: China’s Tech Arsenal Against a Pandemic

QR Codes, Health Passports: China’s Tech Arsenal Against a Pandemic

Daily life in China follows a rhythm of digital check-ins, with the QR code -- at offices, malls and transport hubs -- an integral defense against Covid-19 that helps to track, trace and isolate patients.

Now the country where the coronavirus was first detected is launching a digital "health passport" for its 1.4 billion population which it hopes will eventually re-start international travel.

Concerns over privacy and data harvesting have for now been overshadowed by China's relative success in bringing the virus to heel. Here's how technology has spearheaded the fight against the pandemic.

- Health codes -

China has established a nationwide system of digital "health codes", scoring citizens on whether they pose a potential coronavirus threat based around their travel history and proximity to people with the virus.

Users have to scan a QR code to get a "green" pass in the health app, a common practice at most offices, restaurants, shopping malls, sports centers and transport stations.

The system is linked with the user's ID and phone number, and is used to track their contacts, assess their health risk, and display the results of any recent Covid-19 tests or vaccines.

The nationwide app gathers geolocation data provided by phone operators, while other regional ones