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Ontario top doctor may recommend making QR code exclusive means of verifying vaccination status

A person wears a mask to protect from the COVID-19 while walking past information about vaccination proof in Kingston, Ontario on Thursday September 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Lars Hagberg

Ontario’s top doctor says he may recommend that the province’s QR code be made the exclusive means by which people provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination amid concerns of fraud.

Currently, individuals are able to use either their initial COVID-19 vaccination receipt or the enhanced QR code, which was introduced last month.

Concerns have previously been raised regarding the ability of individuals to use computer programs to create fake certificates resembling the initial vaccination receipt.

In response to a question from a CityNews reporter regarding a story the network did about the use fraudulent certificates, chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore said he believes the “vast majority” of Ontarians are following the rules but he’s “saddened to hear of fraud occurring.”

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“I do believe it’s a very small proportion of individuals that would commit this fraud and if we continue to hear [of] or see transmission in these settings, it has to be because unvaccinated are mixing with vaccinated individuals,” Moore said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference.

“As a result, I would make a recommendation to government, if we continue to see evidence of this, to move to the QR code as the means of verifying vaccination status.

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“I think that’s prudent and it also aligns with our progressive enforcement and progressive education of the public, especially for large venues where we don’t want to see transmission or risk and we want to make sure that they remain safe for all Ontarians.”

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