The COVID-19 vaccine records website of Alberta, Canada, was supposed to release a new version of its QR code. However, it was taken down by the government after discovering a potential data breach.
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 25: A person shows a qr code with COVID passports prior entering Mash House nightclub on November 25, 2021 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Scottish government's vaccine passport scheme came into effect in October and requires people to show they have had two doses of a Covid vaccine to gain entry to nightclubs and large events such as football games.
COVID-19 Vaccine Records Website of Alberta Canada Shuts Down
As per the report by GlobalNews, the government is still investigating the technical problem found on its COVID vaccine records site. In the meantime, the website has been taken down and inaccessible to its users as a safety precaution.
It is to note that the number of affected users of the potential data breach remains to be seen.
However, the Alberta gov't went on to clarify that the incident is not due to a "security breach to the system."
On top of that, the government said that the website will be back online once the technical issue on the website has been resolved.
COVID-19 Vaccine Records Potential Data Breach
The news release from the government of Alberta said that the support desk of Alberta Health has already "received 12 reports from Albertans," saying that the website gave them the vaccine information of another person.
The info further included the name, date of birth, and vaccine information of the vaccine record holder.
That said, after receiving a dozen complaints from users of the vaccine record site, the gov't promptly took down the website.
The Health Minister of Alberta, Canada, Jason Copping, said that "protecting Albertans' personal information is always our top priority.
Copping went on to extend his apologies for the potential breach of COVID-19 vaccine records.
In addition to that, the health minister further assured citizens that they will update them once the investigation has come to a final conclusion.
COVID-19 New Variant Found
Meanwhile, as per the news story by BBC, scientists from South Africa discovered and further studied the most heavily mutated version of the novel coronavirus.
One of the scientists who studied the latest variant of COVID-19 even described the B.1.1.5129 as "horrific."
Although the confirmed cases of the mutated COVID variant are heavily found in a certain provincial location in South Africa, it is likely to have spread in other places as well.
The director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, Tulio de Oliveira, revealed that the new variant carries an "unusual constellation of mutations. Not to mention that it is "very different" when compared to the previous sample of COVID mutations out there.
It comes shortly after the World Health Organization or the WHO recently declared Europe as the "epicenter" of the raging COVID-19 pandemic yet again.
As such, last Nov. 22, the COVID-19 restrictions in some European countries are facing protests from their citizens once again.
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Written by Teejay Boris
