Several Republican-leaning states that eschewed so-called vaccine passports over concerns that they limited freedom are now embracing the technology behind them so that their residents can travel and get their immunization and health records online.

The technology — which allows proof of Covid-19 vaccination to be digitized and often includes a QR code — had been touted by supporters, largely in Democratic-leaning states, as a way to facilitate safer reopening after pandemic-related shutdowns.

But now the technology is gaining momentum in at least five states — Arizona, Mississippi, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Utah — despite bans on “vaccine passports” or governors opposing them. The states see the passports, which often include a scannable black and white square of code, as a way to facilitate travel to places that require proof of vaccination and give residents easier access to their records through a more nimble digital format.

These states do not plan to require vaccine “passports” or proof of immunization to enter indoor spaces like New York City and Los Angeles have. And they’re not called “passports,” a term that has become politically charged. Many are opting to roll out the credentials with little to no fanfare, for example, placing portals to get them inconspicuously on websites, amid potential political opposition.

“We’re starting to see some jurisdictions that had a very strict stance, ‘We’re not going to put any QR codes on anything,’ look at this again with fresh eyes and say, ‘Okay, this really isn’t a passport. This is really just an evolution of a record moving into the digital age,’” said Rebecca Coyle, executive director of the American Immunization Registry Association. “A paper record that moves into a digital or paper format provides some additional security.”

The shifting attitude in the once-hesitant states highlights the draw of digital records for states and the growing desire for patients to have access to their health information.

Many Republican-led states have banned the concept of “passports” or any proof of vaccination requirements to enter certain places, arguing that they hinder personal choice. But a growing number of states are adopting SMART Health Cards, which have become a de facto national standard, with more than 20 states accepting or developing the digital record technology.

And, from God’s mouth — there will be more DARPA diseases!: 

However, Gates said that in many places that was due to virus itself, which creates a level of immunity, and has “done a better job of getting out to the world population than we have with vaccines.”

“The chance of severe disease, which is mainly associated with being elderly and having obesity or diabetes, those risks are now dramatically reduced because of that infection exposure,” he said.

Gates said it was already “too late” to reach the World Health Organization’s goal to vaccinate 70% of the global population by mid-2022. Currently 61.9% of the world population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

He added that the world should move faster in the future to develop and distribute vaccines, calling on governments to invest now.

“Next time we should try and make it, instead of two years, we should make it more like six months,” Gates said, adding that standardized platforms, including messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, would make that possible.

“The cost of being ready for the next pandemic is not that large. It’s not like climate change. If we’re rational, yes, the next time we’ll catch it early.”

Gates, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has partnered with the U.K.’s Wellcome Trust to donate $300 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which helped form the Covax program to deliver vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

The CEPI is aiming to raise $3.5 billion in an effort cut the time required to develop a new vaccine to just 100 days.