THURSDAY, Oct. 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Wallet-friendly cards showing proof of COVID-19 vaccinations served a purpose early in the pandemic, but they are on their way out. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped printing the cards, likely changing how people track their shots in the future.
The cards people have at home can still be used as proof of vaccination, and in many cases, immunization history can be requested from the pharmacy or clinic where the vaccines were received. Vaccination records may vary a little, depending on geographic location. Each state and some cities maintain an immunization registry. Records should be available from those registries for vaccines received at mass vaccination events, depending on state laws, the Associated Press reported.
In Texas, a person needs to provide written consent to be added to the registry, David Andres Alegria, spokesman for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, told the AP. In Wyoming, the state requires vaccine providers to log all vaccinations. Washington state offers both a COVID-19-specific list of a person’s vaccinations or a comprehensive list of all past vaccines.
An individual’s record may be available online or through an app, an option in many states. Some allow users to save a certificate or QR code, the AP reported. Some states may be less efficient or have gaps in their databases. A vaccine provided by a federal health provider may be logged elsewhere.
Before this change, the federal government shipped out 980 million cards, starting in late 2020. Printing has stopped because the federal government is no longer shipping the vaccines, the AP reported.
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