Your vaccination card is too easy to lose. Here’s how to keep a digital copy on your phone

Cities and businesses double up on COVID-19 security protocols to help curb the spread of the delta and delta plus variants. With New York, San Francisco requires proof of vaccination for many indoor activities. While most companies encourage people to get vaccinated (the Pfizer vaccine has now received full FDA approval), many establishments like gymnasiums, restaurants, bars and indoor event venues make it a requirement. For example, in Colorado, where I live, a handful of large concert halls owned by AEG Presents recently announced that they would require vaccination for anyone wishing to attend a show. It’s simple – no proof, no entry.

This small paper card that you received during your vaccination will be enough to prove that you are vaccinated. But what if it is lost, damaged or stolen? At this time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not store your vaccination status. In the United States and around the world, businesses, apps, and municipalities are making it easy to digitally store and display your COVID-19 vaccination card. Now Samsung joins.

Rather than carrying the card – or laminating it, preventing your healthcare provider from updating it with future booster shots – take a few minutes to add a digital copy of your immunization card to your phone. Here are a few options I found while researching how to safely store mine.

There is no standard way to show proof of your vaccination card

Keep in mind that right now there isn’t a single national system or app for showing proof of vaccination on your phone. Requirements vary by region and company. While some places may accept a photo of your vaccination card, others may require that you use an app that has been implemented at the state level.

It’s a confusing mess, to say the least. I strongly urge you to take a few minutes to research what your city or local state will accept as evidence as it can vary.

For example, AEG Presents will accept a “physical copy of a COVID-19 vaccination registration card, a digital copy of that card, or other locally authorized evidence.”

The University of Seattle, meanwhile, requires students to be vaccinated to attend classes in person through an online form that uploads photos of the front and back of the vaccination card. (Many other colleges require students and employees to be vaccinated.)

Again, every location, business, city, and state is going to approach this differently until there is a unified standard – assuming there never is one.

If in doubt, search the company’s website for information or call the local health department and ask for clarification. It’s sure to save you time, headaches, and bar push-ups.

Use your phone to take a clear photo

Taking a picture of your vaccination card and keeping it on your phone is the fastest and easiest way to have, at a minimum, a backup copy of your card and all information about your vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even recommends keeping a photo of your card as a backup copy.

Just use the camera app on your phone to take the photo. We suggest you store it in a notes app, folder, or somewhere that’s easy to remember so you don’t have to scroll endlessly through your Camera Roll to find it. Make sure you are in a well-lit area and get close enough to the map so that its dates and details are legible. I also suggest placing the map on a dark surface, while still being mindful of the shadows of your arms or the phone on the map itself.

Here is an example of one way to save your vaccination record as a new photo album. On an iPhone, open the Photos app, select the Albums tab, and then tap the + sign in the upper left corner followed by New album. Name the album, then tap to safeguard. Then select the photos from your card to add it to the album.

On an Android phone, it depends on which app you are using, but the process should generally be the same. If you are using the Google Photos app, open the app, then select the image from your vaccination record. Press the three dot menu button in the upper right corner, followed by Add to album button. To select + New album and give it a name such as “Immunization card” and press the check mark button when finished.

Are you using a Samsung phone? There is an app just for you

Samsung is now offering Galaxy phone owners the ability to add proof of vaccination to Samsung Pay, its portfolio application. By having direct access to your vaccination record, you won’t have to worry about creating photo albums and flipping through multiple screens before you can show it to a bouncer at your local water point.

To add your card to Samsung Pay, you need to download the CommonHealth app (Samsung partner) from the Google Play Store. Follow the instructions in the app to check your immunization status. Once the app confirms that you have received the photos, you will be prompted to upload a smart health card to Samsung Pay.

This card is what you will then show to anyone who asks you to show proof of vaccination.

Excelsior and more: find apps based on your location

Some states, including New York, Colorado, and California, offer some form of digital immunization card. The myColorado app requires you to create an account, verify your identity, and then add your digital driver’s license on your phone. After doing this, you can then add your myVaccine folder to the app.

Louisiana’s LA Wallet app takes a similar approach to Colorado’s, allowing you to add your driver’s license and proof of vaccination to your phone.

The California implementation requires you to fill out a form to verify your identity, after which you will receive a text or email with a link to a QR code that you can save to your phone. Once scanned, the code will offer proof of vaccination. The link will also include a digital copy of your vaccination record.

MyIR Mobile is another application used by several state health departments to provide a digital copy of your immunization card. Currently, if you live in Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, or Washington, DC, this is the app for you to use.

We’ll update this story as the national vaccine conversation continues. For more information on upcoming booster injections, be sure to read this. We have up-to-date details on delta variant, as good as delta plus and the lambda variant.