Have you got your NHS Covid vaccine passport app? Vaccine passports come into use from TODAY

LONDON May 17: A change to the NHS app brought in today allows people to prove whether they have had the Covid jab – effectively making it a vaccine passport.

Owned and run by the NHS, the NHS App is a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet

The NHS App is available now on iOS and Android. To use it you must be aged 13 and over and registered with a GP surgery in England.

The update for users in England has been brought in with little fanfare but MPs and privacy campaigners have voiced fears that any such system could be discriminatory and a breach of human rights.

The app, which is separate to the NHS Covid-19 app for contact tracing, can already be used to request repeat prescriptions, book doctor appointments and view medical records.

The NHS Digital website reads: ‘From 17 May, people in England who have had a full course of the Covid-19 vaccine can demonstrate their Covid-19 vaccination status for international travel.

https://www.nhsapp.service.nhs.uk/login

‘People can prove their vaccination status in the NHS app or by ringing 119 to get a letter.’

A No 10 source said the updated app was designed to allow people to meet foreign countries’ requirements for visitors. But they said ‘no decisions’ had been taken on the scope or use of any domestic scheme.

Users can prove they have had two doses of the jab and are therefore fully vaccinated..

A paper version is also available by calling 119 but not through a GP.