The golden ticket to a post-pandemic world is a shot in the arm – and the weak paper evidence of it.
Now that nearly a quarter of Americans have been vaccinated against COVID-19, people are increasingly wondering what to do with their vaccination card. The small but essential piece of documentation serves as the only physical evidence many now have that they have been vaccinated against the new virus, and a growing industry of post-vax makers is scrambling to provide the market with holders to protect the cards. Others offer to laminate or digitize them.
Here’s a guide on what to know before permanently covering your card in plastic, buying a case, or, unfortunately, being unlucky enough to lose it.
Do I have to laminate my vaccine card?
The giant office supplies Staples, Office Depot, and Office Max have all offered to offer their lamination services for free in the name of permanently encasing vaccine cards in a thin layer of protective plastic. But is it a good idea to laminate your card?
The health department has no official insight, but some caution you may regret laminating your card in case it is necessary to mark it with a booster shot, which is an extra dose of a vaccine after the first dose.
“A lot of people are laminating, but there is also the possibility that there will be a need for booster shots,” said Mark Levine, the chair of the New York City Councilor and the chair of the Health Department. “And so some people have advised you not to laminate, in case you have to write a third date on it. In fact, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci has stated that it is possible that within six to 12 months we may simply ask people to get a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna instead of a booster shot, as that could be enough to control the threat of the variants. “
Where can I buy a vaccine card protector?
For those looking for an easier reversible form of protection than lamination, the internet has quickly become saturated with affordable vaccination card sleeves. Only Amazon has a multitude of choices, from a heavy-duty pack of two clear plastic sleeves with a clip to a ‘badge card holder’ style option or a case with eight different color options, all costing less than $ 10 each. .
What to do if you lose your vaccination card
The fact that you got the vaccine is stored in larger databases, not just that one piece of paper. If you lose it, the CDC recommends contacting the state health department or the pharmacy where you received the injection to see if they can print you a replacement record – but don’t contact the CDC: it doesn’t have information about vaccination records.
And soon, the paper record may only be relevant as a strange, physical sign of the pandemic: Vaccine passports, including the New York State Excelsior Pass, allow residents to keep an easily accessible digital record of their vaccine status so that they can be able to access certain locations and businesses.
What you need to know about digital vaccination cards
In addition to government vaccine passports, other private companies are launching their own digital vaccination certificates, including GoGetVax’s VaxYes.
The CDC has also created an app called V-Safe to serve as a post-vaccination health checker. V-Safe does not serve as a digital record of your vaccination, but as a kind of study to measure the side effects of vaccines.