More than 100 million Americans have received at least one vaccine against COVID-19. The test? A 4-by-3-inch paper “vaccination record card” issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a post-pandemic world, this humble card for those who are fully vaccinated could become an important document used to travel, attend events, return to the post-pandemic office, and other purposes. Currently, companies are considering whether to require employees and employers to present vaccination tests as a working condition or business dedication.
In the meantime, this is what the experts say you need to know about vaccination cards.
Photograph the registration card
The first thing experts recommend once vaccinated is to take a digital photograph of both sides of the personal registration card. You can also scan the card and save the file to a laptop or desktop computer, said Megan Ranney, an emergency physician at Rhode Island Hospital and an associate professor at Brown University.
One thing you shouldn’t do: Share your personal inoculation test on Facebook or other social networking sites, which could lead to identity theft because your CDC card includes a person’s date of birth, name and the surname.
“I wouldn’t post it on social media with my birthday presentation. It’s a unique identifier that could allow someone to steal your identity, so I’d be careful about that first,” said epidemiologist Danielle Ompad, a professor at NYU School of Global Public Health told CBS MoneyWatch.
Instead, you may want to print a copy of the vaccination card photo and save it in your wallet. While some experts advise against the original card being laminated, so booster vaccine plans can be added if necessary, others say it’s okay because a more sophisticated document registration system is likely to be available then. .
“I would roll it out because by the time a reinforcement arrives, the technology will have evolved,” suggested Dr. Maureen Miller, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
You can get your laminated card for free at the Staples Office Supply Store using code 81450 or at Office Depot under code 52516714.
Leave the original at home
Be sure to store the original hard copy of the vaccine card somewhere safe; you don’t always have to keep it in your person and you run the risk of losing it. Experts recommend keeping the original with other important medical documents or records and carrying only the digital copy.
“You don’t have to carry it at all times right now unless you’re traveling or doing something else where you have to provide vaccination evidence,” Ranney said.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, a scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said he keeps his vaccination record in his passport (along with a card proving he has been vaccinated against yellow fever).
Notify your primary care physician that you have received the vaccine, as you would any other inoculation. This helps healthcare providers ensure that your vaccine record is up to date.
Not everyone has followed the advice of experts to store vaccination records somewhere safe. University of Illinois gymnast Evan Manivong recently nailed a perfect landing during a lap competition, and celebrated by taking the vaccine card tucked inside the jersey and making it available to the public. “Go get vaccinated everyone!” the biggest 20-year-old publicist tweeted later. Videos of the magic moment went viral this week.
What if I lose it?
If you lose your card, don’t panic. Each time a vaccine is given, the provider records it in the state’s immunization record.
“These scraps of paper are not the only record of your vaccination status,” Adalja said. “People should keep the cards safe so they have them on hand, but it’s not the end of the world if they lose it or if it goes through the washing machine.”
If your card is lost, call your state health department and ask for a replacement.
“Right now it’s what we have as proof that you got the vaccine, but it’s not impossible to replace it,” said Dr. Christine Whelan, a clinical professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
For now, Whelan said, simple CDC white cards may have more symbolic value than a practical function.
“Other countries are not delivering scraps of paper like us, and that may be a peculiar thing we are doing. There is something satisfying about going out with the registration of the card copy just in case,” he said.
There is still no universal standard
President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said this week that the U.S. government will not order the so-called vaccine passports for travel and other commercial activities. Probably everything that looks like a digital pass developed by the private sector, added.
Some experts regret that the government has not previously developed a digitized test for vaccination.
“I think the U.S. government should have thought of a digital app in the beginning and had it ready to be activated when a person received a vaccine,” Adalja said. “Now we have to fight to find a digital and secure solution so that people don’t have to worry about carrying this card.”
Ideally, the vaccination status should be integrated and stored with other personal travel information that is reflected in programs such as Global Entry and TSA PreCheck that facilitate the travel process for airport security.
Watch out for fake vax cards
Scammers also take advantage of the low-tech logging system. Hundreds of fraudsters they sell fake versions of the vaccine cards issued by the CDC through e-commerce platforms that include eBay, Etsy and Shopify, according to Saoud Khalifah, CEO of Fakespot, which uses artificial intelligence to warn consumers of online retail scams.
Courtesy of Fakespot
Fraud cards are advertised at about $ 20 for savings, and are also offered en masse. Fraud is blatantly discovered. Fakespot has identified hundreds of Facebook pages and eBay listings that offer “vax letters” and “blank vaccine cards” for people who may not have been vaccinated yet.
“It has introduced this new dynamic into society where people can fake immunity and replace it with a fake card. It’s a new concept we haven’t seen before,” Khalifah told CBS MoneyWatch.
Khalifah suspects that some buyers of fake cards are anti-vaxxers who have no plans to immunize themselves, but who want any access the card allows.
The FBI has warned that these schemes violate federal laws that prohibit the unauthorized use of the seal of an official government agency, including that of the CDC. Fraudulent use of an official federal stamp is a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Race for digital passports and other solutions
As Fauci suggested, private companies are already developing ways for people to prove that they have been vaccinated or that they do not have coronavirus. For example, New York authorities are testing a digital health pass with blockchain technology in collaboration with computer company IBM.
“The goal is to provide New York residents with a simple, voluntary, and safe method to prove proof of a negative COVID-19 test result or vaccination certification,” IBM said in a press release on last month.
New York State
Recently, New York piloted the so-called Excelsior Pass with the Brooklyn Nets in one of the home games of the National Basketball Association team at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It will also be tested in theaters and other venues as more New Yorkers are vaccinated.
“The Excelsior Pass will play a critical role in obtaining information in places and places in a safe and streamlined way, which will allow us to accelerate the reopening of these businesses and take us one step closer to reach a new normal, “Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement last month.
Vaccine management company VaxAtlas has also launched an app for consumers to securely store vaccine registration cards.
“Verification will soon be a requirement for travel, work, places, even schools and all states may have different rules and guidelines. We need a centralized system to ensure that vaccinations and certifications are not lost and that personal information is stored securely, ”VaxAtlas said. CEO Judi Korzec.
Relieve anxiety
VaxYes is another tool that provides free HIPAA compliant digital vaccine records for inoculated people. The CEO of the company, Mohammed Gaber, expects the product to be used initially with more diffusion in the travel sector.
“I personally went through the maxims of receiving both the doses of the vaccine and the bare minimum of thinking and fearing that I had lost the card. Everyone will have anxiety around this card and how to save it,” Gaber said.
VaxYes has partnered with various states and organizations in the United States, including Kansas, which is testing the tool to allow residents to return to shows and other events. So far, thousands of Americans have digitized their paper cards through VaxYes, according to the company.
“People are already starting to think about summer travel plans, and they see it as a factor in getting back to normal and resuming travel activities,” Gaber said. “We are very excited to be part of the solution.”