The golden ticket to a post-pandemic world is a shot in the arm – and its thin paperwork.
With nearly a quarter of Americans now vaccinated against COVID-19, people are increasingly wondering what to do with their vaccination card. The small yet important piece of documentation serves as the only physical evidence that many people now have that they have been vaccinated against the new virus, and that a growing industry of post-wax creators is rapidly supplying containers to the market to to protect cards. Others offer to laminate or digitize it.
Here is a guide you need to know before you permanently cover your card in plastic, buy a case for it, or unfortunately lose the card.
Do I need to laminate my vaccine card?
Office Supplies Staples, Office Depot and Office Max have all offered to provide their lamination services for free, namely to permanently enclose the 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 warn that you may regret laminating your card if necessary to mark it with a booster shot, which is an extra dose of the vaccine after the initial dose.
“A lot of people are laminating, but there’s also the possibility that shots are needed,” New York City councilor and chairman of the health department committee Mark Levine told Slate. ‘And so some people have recommended that you laminate, if you have to write a third appointment there. In fact, Drs. [Anthony] Fauci said it is possible that within six to twelve months we could only ask people to get a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna, as opposed to a booster shot, as that could be enough to mitigate the threat of the variant. management. ”
Where can I buy a vaccine protector?
For those looking for an easier reversible form of protection than lamination, the internet has quickly become saturated with affordable cases for vaccination cards. Amazon alone has a multitude of choices, from a “heavy” two-pack transparent vinyl plastic case that is pinched to a badge cardholder option or a case that comes in eight different color options, all for less than $ 10 elk kos.
What to do if you lose your vaccine card
The fact that you received the vaccine is stored in larger databases, not just on the single piece of paper. If you lose it, the CDC recommends contacting the State Health Department or the pharmacy to which you received the shot to see if they can print you a replacement record, but you should not reach the CDC: it has no information on the vaccination does not. .
And soon, the paper survey could only be relevant as a strange, physical sign of the pandemic: Vaccination passports, including New York State’s Excelsior Pass, allow residents to keep an easily accessible digital record of their vaccination status, so they can gain access to certain places and businesses.
What to know about digital vaccination cards
In addition to government-specific passports, other private companies are introducing 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 check. V-Safe does not serve as a digital record of your vaccination, but as a kind of survey to determine the side effects of vaccines.