What to Do If You Have Lost Your Vaccine Card
While the debate rages on whether we need a national or government “vaccine passport”, the truth is we already have one, and it’s a little piece of paper with numbers and your name scrawled on it. Initially intended as a handy reminder for personal use, these cards are increasingly used as proof of vaccination.
For example, Drexel University is one of the many colleges that require proof of vaccination to enter the fall 2021 semester. Their website says, “You can download your proof of vaccination (usually the card you get at the time of vaccination) through the Drexel Health Checker app.” It is likely that cards will also be accepted in workplaces, conferences, and perhaps even travel.
If it seems odd that the vaccination policies of companies and organizations would depend on an easily counterfeit handwritten card, well, it is. Proof of vaccination is usually a letter from a healthcare provider, as is the case for the forms of vaccine that pediatricians usually provide to parents who enroll their children in school. But these cards are a temporary stop that we have at the moment, especially considering that many of us received vaccines at a clinic or pharmacy that we would not normally go to.
Before you lose your card
Okay, you have your vaccination card, but you are worried that someday you will lose it. Let’s see what you can do now.
Take a photo of the postcard first, or make a paper copy that you can store in a safe place. This way, you will have a record of the information on the card, and most importantly, the name of the clinic or health care system where you received the vaccine.
Then make sure you have complete contact information for the place where you got the vaccine. (If you got the vaccine at a pop-up clinic, make sure you know who organized it, for example, at your local hospital.) This is because the provider keeps their own vaccination records. In other words, your card is not the only entry; it is at least one of the two.
As long as you keep your card in a safe place, look for rules anywhere you expect to ask for proof of vaccination. Many people use digital apps, so you provide your card once and then get an app for everyday use. Excelsior Pass in New York is one such application; some agencies, workplaces and airlines may also soon have their own apps if they haven’t already. Enter proof of vaccination as soon as you can so you don’t have to look for a card at the last minute.
Also consider bringing the card (or a copy of it) to your next doctor’s appointment. This way, your doctor can add the vaccine to their records too.
If you need a new card
If you lose your card, contact the provider who gave you the injection. Since they keep their own records, they should be able to send you a document telling you when and with what vaccine you were vaccinated.
If you know that another provider has a record of your vaccine — for example, if you brought a test card as suggested above — you can ask them instead of the original provider.
Your state health department can also help you find evidence of vaccinations if you do not remember where you got it. The CDC does not keep records, but it does have a list of government immunization registries you can contact. Some are only available to providers, so finding your vaccine is not always easy. And be careful: some states do not have a registry or do not require providers to enter all vaccines into it.
Should you laminate your card?
After Staples and Office Depot announced that they would laminate vaccine cards for free , some experts began advising people not to laminate their cards in case they need to add entries to them later. (For example, if we need booster vaccines next year.)
That said, if you do laminate your card, you won’t necessarily have a problem getting that booster shot; you just might need to keep track of two cards. Instead, we recommend inserting the card into the badge holder , which will protect it from wrinkles and splashing, but still allow you to remove it to write on it later if needed. You don’t need to carry the card with you, so keep it in a safe place at home.