How to save, store, and replace your COVID-19 vaccine confirmation

Everyone who gets a COVID-19 vaccine should get a 4 inch by 3 inch card — too big to fit in a wallet, but might be needed for flying in the future, for people seeking a booster shot, or as the need otherwise arises.

The Dayton Daily News answered readers’ questions on how to save these vaccine records, how to best carry along, how to get a new copy if a replacement is needed.

What if you don’t have your vaccination card or lost it?

If you do not receive a COVID-19 vaccination card at your appointment, contact the vaccination provider where you got vaccinated or your state health department to find out how you can get a card.

If you lost your card since your vaccination, you should contact the vaccine provider and ask for a new copy.

For some of the large local vaccine providers:

  • If someone received a COVID-19 vaccine through Kettering Health and lost or misplaced their vaccination card, they can call 1-844-576-3627 and they will be sent a replacement card.
  • Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County has a record request form online at phdmc.org/coronavirus-updates and clicking on COVID-19 Vaccination Record Request.
  • At Premier Health, the fastest way to get your vaccination card information is by using your Premier Health MyChart account. In the menu, under My Record, click COVID-19. 1. By clicking the down arrow next to the green “COVID-19 vaccination complete” text, it will show a record of any COVID-19 vaccination you received from Premier.
  • For a copy of a lost vaccine card for a shot received through Greene County Public Health, send an email to medicalrecords@gcph.info for a replacement.

Credit: Jeff Chiu

Credit: Jeff Chiu

Why might you need to save your card?

It’s a medical record, and like other medical records, you might need to store it. Also, some workplaces (particularly health care), colleges, and some airlines have been asking for copies of vaccination records.

It doesn’t fit in a wallet, so what’s the best way to carry it somewhere?

There’s a handful of digital wallet apps that let people carry around a vaccine record on their phone. You can ask the provider where you got your vaccine to see if they have a digital way to store your information.

For example, people who got a vaccine through Walmart can securely store their COVID-19 vaccine record on Walmart.com/digitalvaccinerecord and can print or share their vaccine record through the site. Apple had said it will have a vaccination verification function added into a software update coming this fall.

A photo on your phone can also work as a back up copy, and saving it to a labeled folder can help you find it back quickly.

Office supplies stores and online shops like Amazon sell plastic sleeves that fit a 3 inch by 4 inch card.

Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, has advised against laminating your vaccination record. The card has blank spaces to record future shots, such as if you still need a second dose in the regimen or later if a booster becomes necessary.

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