The golden ticket to a post-pandemic world is a shot in the arm, and proof of weak paper.
With nearly a quarter of Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, people are increasingly wondering what to do with their vaccine card. The small and vital documentation serves as the only physical evidence that many now have who have been vaccinated against the new virus and a growing industry of post-vax creators are rushing to supply headlines to protect the cards. Others offer laminating or digitizing them.
Here’s a guide to what you need to know before you can permanently cover your card in plastic, buy a case for it, or, unfortunately, be unlucky enough to lose it.
Should I laminate my vaccine card?
Large office supplies Staples, Office Depot and Office Max have offered to provide their lamination services for free on behalf of permanently sealing vaccine cards in a thin layer of protective plastic. But is it a good idea to laminate the card?
The Department of Health has no official knowledge, but there are those who warn that they may regret laminating the card in case the need arises to mark it with a booster shot, which is an additional dose of a vaccine after the initial dose.
“A lot of people are rolling out, but there’s also the possibility that there will be a need for reinforcement shots,” New York City Councilman and Department of Health Committee Chairman Mark Levine told Slate. “And, therefore, some people have advised you not to do lamination, in case you need to write a third quote. In fact, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci has stated that it is possible that within six to twelve months we can only ask people to get a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna instead of a booster shot, because that may be enough to manage the threat of the variants “.
Where can I Buy a Vaccine Card Protector?
For those looking for a more easily reversible form of protection than lamination, the Internet has quickly become saturated with affordable cases for vaccine cards. Amazon alone has many options, from a pack of two “sturdy” packs of clear vinyl plastic covers that include a clip to a “sheet card holder” style option or a case that includes eight options of different colors, all of which cost less than $ 10 each.
What to do if the vaccine card is lost
The fact that you received the vaccine is stored in larger databases, not just on a single piece of paper. If you lose it, the CDC recommends contacting the state health department or pharmacy where you received the vaccine to see if they can print a replacement record for you, but do not contact the CDC: No vaccination record information .
And soon, paper registration may be relevant only as a physical and rare witness to the pandemic: vaccine passports, including the New York State Excelsior Pass, allow residents to keep an easily accessible digital record of their state. of vaccine, so that they can access certain places and companies.
What you need to know about digital vaccine cards
In addition to government vaccine passports, other private companies are launching their own digital vaccination certificates, including GoGetVax VaxYes.
The CDC has also created an app, called V-Safe, that serves as a post-vaccination health checker. V-Safe does not serve as a digital record of your vaccine, but as a kind of survey to measure the side effects of the vaccine.