Your Coronavirus Vaccine Card: How to Safely Store and Preserve It Now

All over the United States, vaccine eligibility is beginning to open up to the general population. As this happens, many are asking what they should do with their CDC vaccination card once they have been fully vaccinated.

Proving that you have had a coronavirus vaccine is something that might become important, especially for travel purposes. Those who plan on traveling internationally in the next year might find themselves obligated to prove vaccination. Vaccine passports are now a hot topic in the United States, with many opinions on both sides. Proving vaccination for various purposes has been around for years. For instance, children are required to prove they have received appropriate vaccines before starting school, and traveling to certain countries requires proof of specific vaccinations as well.

There are no official vaccine passports set up yet, but the prospect is on the horizon. In the meantime, if you have received both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, here is what you should do with your white vaccination card from the CDC.

The CDC Vaccination Card

While waiting for official ways to document your status as fully vaccinated against coronavirus, that white CDC vaccination card is your best bet to prove your fully vaccinated status. Many people are rushing to find ways to preserve their card and protect it, but before you rush out to laminate your vaccine record card, there are a few other things you can do.

Certainly, laminating the card could help preserve it and protect it from moisture or other things that might damage it, but consider waiting. Experts suggest taking a photo of your card after each dose, if possible, just in case you happen to lose it between doses. E-mail a copy of the photo to yourself to ensure you have a digital copy. Additionally, you might consider making a copy of the card and laminating that instead of the original. Because the vaccine is so new, we don’t yet know if we will need to get booster shots in the future. Leaving your original vaccination card as-is would allow for booster shots to be documented on the original card.

For now, you may want to store your original vaccination card in a safe space, like a fireproof safe or another protected area, along with other important documents like passports, birth certificates, and Social Security cards. Keep a digital or physical copy of the card with you, if possible, and keep an eye out for news regarding legitimate vaccine passports.

Featured Image courtesy Marco Verch | Flickr