What Are COVID-19 Vaccine Cards? Experts Share How Vaccination Cards Will Be Used
"The card's primary function is to encourage people to remember to come back for a second dose, as it's crucial for preventing future COVID-19 spread. These vaccine cards won't look or feel much different than appointment cards receptionists often give you for a future appointment, explains Crystal Tubbs, PharmD, associate director of pharmacy at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Vaccine cards are a failsafe to ensure that no errors could possibly be made when it's time for your second dose, Tubbs explains, even if you have to move or visit a different clinic. "As the vaccine becomes more readily available, patients may seek care from a variety of locations… the second dose must be from the same manufacturer," Tubbs tells Good Housekeeping. "Not all medical record systems 'talk' to each other, so this card serves as a backup of the most important information.""
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"Federal officials have yet to confirm how COVID-19 vaccine cards may be used in regulation in the future, or if they'll eventually function similarly to the WHO's vaccination cards. But based on communication between the CDC and local medical experts, Tubbs says it's unlikely that these cards will be used for anything more than a reminder at first.
"At this time, I think requiring this card as 'proof of vaccination' would be very difficult to operationalize for a variety of industries," she explains. "In our society, where many things are moving to digital platforms, I think it would be unreasonable to think that a paper card, that could likely be lost, thrown away, duplicated or damaged, would serve as an official document for permission to travel, stay in hotels, and more.""