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The COVID-19 vaccine cards remind recipients when they receive a second dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.
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The CDC recommends taking a photo of the vaccine cards as a backup, but avoid publishing them online.
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Go back to where you were inoculated if you lose the paper card.
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Millions of newly inoculated Americans are returning home with paper vaccine cards containing crucial information about their COVID-19 vaccine.
The paper-based COVID-19 vaccine cards issued by the CDC serve as reminders when to receive a second dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. The CDC is not collecting information about who received the COVID-19 vaccines, which means that the paper card also serves as proof that you got it right.
What happens if you lose the small paper card? You can still get a second dose, but the CDC recommends taking a picture of the card when you receive it.
Here is everything you need to know about your COVID-19 vaccination card:
What are COVID-19 vaccine cards?
The Trump administration designed the cards as ways to remind recipients of the vaccine when they receive a second dose. Recipients or their vaccine suppliers write when they received their first dose and which injection they received on the cards.
The Modern vaccine requires two doses administered four weeks apart, and the Pfizer vaccine requires two injections three weeks apart.
The US created the card system to encourage vaccine recipients to attend second doses, as some studies show that a significant number of women have not returned to receive second doses of the human papillomavirus vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer. .
Although a single injection of Pfizer and BioNTech can significantly reduce the risk of infection, it takes weeks for the body to build immunity. Rigorous test data suggested that Moderna and Pfizer vaccines provide nearly 95% protection against mild COVID-19 and 100% against hospitalization and death, but only when participants followed the two-dose protocol.
What do you need the COVID-19 vaccine cards for?
The Center for Disease Control is not collecting information about vaccines when Americans are going to have injections; the information on the paper cards does not go to an online CDC database.
Therefore, vaccination cards can serve as proof that you have been vaccinated at least once. Many states have their own system for tracking when patients receive vaccines, just as hospitals, clinics and other organizations store information about vaccines, a CDC spokesman told McClatchy News.
Some companies are looking for ways to use vaccine testing to allow better protocol openings. The International Air Transport Association, or trade association of international airlines, is working on ways to digitize vaccine cards. Nick Careen, senior vice president of IATA, told The Points Guy that paper vaccine cards are easy to counterfeit, but digital versions can help reopen the airline industry.
What happens when you lose a COVID-19 card?
The federal government suggests taking a photo of your vaccination card in case you get lost, the Better Business Bureau has warned against posting the images on social media. BBB, a non-profit consumer protection group, reported that scammers tried to sell fraudulent vaccine cards online.
The card also contains personal information that hackers can use to gain access to their accounts, said the BBB.
The CDC recommends using V-safe, a free tool that can send reminders about when to receive a second dose. V-safe, which requires a smartphone, does not help you schedule vaccine appointments.
If you lose your card without creating a backup, Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Health Security Center, told ABC News to go back to the place where you got your injection and ask for a replacement. Knowing the manufacturer (Moderna or Pfizer) and the recommended time for your second injection is critical to decreasing your chances of infection, AARP said.
And if you can, hold your card after receiving a second dose, if the authorities decide to use it for other purposes, such as schools, said Crystal Tubbs, associate director of pharmacy at Ohio State University.
“Not all medical record systems ‘speak’ to each other, so this card serves as a backup of the most important information,” said Tubbs.
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