What You Need to Know About Your Vaccination Card 19
Here’s everything you need to
He about your vaccine record,
why it’s important and how to
keep it safe.
WHAT’S ON A VACCINE CARD?
The vaccine card, given after your first
shot and then updated if your vaccine
requires a second one, includes the vac-
cine manufacturer, the dose numbers
and the date and location each was
administered,
WHAT HAPPENS IF I LOSE MY CARD?
Getting a new card should be easy
enough. Return to where they were vaccinated or to the organization that was in charge of your vaccination site — possibly your county health department — and
they should be able to provide you a replacement card.
Vaccinations are also tracked by state
health departments, so you can reach
out to your state’s agency to get a re-
placement card, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. The
agency lists contact information for the
Immunization Information System in
each state, which tracks vaccinations, on
its website.
HOW SHOULD | SAFEGUARD MY
CARD?
Start by taking a picture of it with your
phone, so you’ll have the information
in your photo library and emailing it to
yourself as backup, said Dr. Uchenna
Tkediobi, an assistant professor of
general internal medicine and infectious
diseases at Yale University
Laminating your card will make it
more durable if you’re planning
to carry it around in your wallet,
though there has been some
concern about lamination because
it would prevent information from
future booster shots from being
added. But Dr. Ikediobi said that
this “may be a moot point if new
cards are issued after a booster
shot, as would seem likely.”
While all of the uses for your vaccination have still not been solidified, it is still important to safeguard it. A good idea is to take a photo of it with your cell phone and store
Completed vaccine cards laminated for in on your phone. As an extra precaution, email yourself copy of the photo.
support a mandatory vaccine requirement for air travel because it “risks discriminating against those markets where vaccines may take longer to become
widely available” or against those “who are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons, or who are unwilling to do sowing to ethical or other concerns.”
Despite that position, LATA. is
developing its own vaccine pass called
Travel Pass, which travelers can use to
share Covid-related health information
with governments or airlines that require
it, Flint said.
Most likely the pass will be used
predominately for international travel.
ARE THERE OTHER BENEFITS?
Yes. Aside from the health benefits of
getting the vaccine, there are also other
perks that come with your vaccine card.
Businesses across the country, from bars
to marijuana dispensaries, have been
offering perks to those with a COVID-19
free at Office Depot and Office- — sage
Max stores nationwide using the code association for the world’s airlines. and summer.
52516714 through July 25 Some destinations and cruise lines have For the moment, airlines are not
Lots of people who he had their started requiring that travelers be fully requiring vaccinations for travel.
cards laminated are finding that the hot
lamination process may make some in-
formation on the cards unreadable. This
may not be true everywhere, so be care-
ful and possibly ask about the amount of
heat used in the lamination process.
DO I NEED MY CARD TO TRAVEL?
In some cases, yes. Border entry
requirements are set by governments,
not by airlines or by the International
Air Transport Association, the trade
vaccinated before they travel. As of March
26, fully vaccinated Americans who can
present proof of vaccination can visit
Iceland, for example, and avoid border
measures such as testing and quarantining, the country’s government said.
The cruise line Royal Caribbean is requiring passengers and crew members 18 or older to be vaccinated in order
to board its ships, as are a number of cruise lines, with most of them planning to restart cruise operations this spring.