As the pandemic progresses, keeping up with our proof of COVID-19 vaccination becomes ever more important. The official COVID-19 Vaccination Record card is provided for use by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The card is given at an individual’s first vaccination appointment and states what COVID-19 vaccine you received, the date you received it, and where you received it. This important document is necessary for long-term care facilities to verify their residents and staff are protected. So, what do you do if you or (a resident or staff member) lost or didn’t receive a COVID-19 vaccination card?
The CDC does not maintain vaccination records or determine how vaccination records are used. The agency also does not provide the white CDC-labeled COVID-19 Vaccination Record cards to individuals. These cards are distributed to vaccination providers by state health departments. However, the CDC recommends the following steps if you have lost your CDC COVID-19 Vaccination record or don’t have a copy:
- Contact your vaccination provider directly. If Turenne PharMedCo Pharmacy Services was your vaccine provider, please let us know and we can help you with verification and a replacement card.
If you were vaccinated by another provider, such as a non-Turenne pharmacy or doctor’s office, that provider should be able to give you a replacement vaccine card or provide you with proof of your COVID-19 vaccination. - Contact your state health department. If you received your COVID-19 vaccine at a drive through or mass vaccination clinic or are not sure who to contact, you can contact your state health department. All vaccination providers must report COVID-19 vaccinations to their state immunization information system.
- If you enrolled in v-safe, the after vaccination health checker tool for smartphones, or VaxText, the vaccination text messaging service, after your first vaccine dose, you can access your vaccination information using those tools.
Avoid being scammed
Using or making un-official vaccination cards as well as altering official vaccination cards are crimes. To avoid fraud, the CDC recommends that you do not:
- Buy fake cards
- Make your own cards
- Fill in blank cards with false information
Offers to purchase CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record cards are scams. Valid proof of COVID-19 vaccination can only be provided to individuals by legitimate vaccination providers.
