The era of the COVID-19 vaccination card, once an indispensable pandemic document, has come to a close. The familiar white cards, a symbol of vaccination status, are gradually being phased out.
With COVID-19 vaccines no longer being distributed by the federal government, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made the decision to halt the printing of new vaccination cards.
According to the latest available data from the CDC, the federal government shipped over 980 million of these cards from late 2020, when the first COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out, up to May 10.
Federal and local health officials anticipate that discontinuing the use of vaccination cards will not result in significant changes, as the days of carrying them in purses and wallets to gain entry into events, bars, and restaurants are largely in the past. For those who have retained their cards, they remain valid as proof of vaccination. However, individuals in need of their COVID-19 immunization records will now have to request them through the same process as any other vaccine record.
In many cases, the clinic, pharmacy, or health department that administered the vaccine can provide these records. Each state, along with some cities, maintains an immunization registry, although the rules regarding when records are included and the options for obtaining copies can vary widely. Records from mass vaccination sites established early in the pandemic should also be accessible through these registries, depending on state laws. Notably, there is no national registry for immunization records.
For instance, in Texas, patients’ written consent is required for inclusion in the registry, as stated by David Andres Alegria, a spokesman for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. In other regions, such as Wyoming and Philadelphia, vaccine providers are mandated to log all vaccinations in a city-specific record system.
Many states offer digital vaccination records to individuals, accessible online or through mobile apps. Users can save certificates or QR codes as proof of vaccination. Some websites even provide reminders for upcoming vaccinations.
Jeff Chorath, who manages the immunization information system in Washington state, emphasized the increased autonomy patients gained over their health records during the pandemic, particularly concerning immunization records. Washington state offers two digital options for obtaining vaccination records – one that provides a comprehensive list of all vaccinations recorded in the state database and another specific to COVID-19 vaccines.
However, not all states offer the same digital options, potentially leading to longer processing times for obtaining records. Gaps in state databases may also exist; for example, if individuals were vaccinated by a federal health provider, those records may be tracked in a separate system.
Regarding the old vaccination card – if you still possess it – consider keeping it like any other important health record, advised Heidi Gurov, a nurse consultant at the Wyoming Department of Health.
“It’s always good to keep those in a safe spot,” she stressed.
CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen reported that four million people in the U.S. have received the latest COVID-19 vaccine since its approval last month, with a total of 10 million doses having been shipped to providers.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
