The Dos & Don’ts of Taking Care of Your COVID-19 Vaccination Card

If you’re reading this, congratulations — you’ve finally been vaccinated against COVID-19. Whether you just finished your first dose or are now fully inoculated, one thing is definite: You already received a vaccination card.

COVID-19 vaccination card must-knows

Have you taken a look at all the details of your vaccination card yet? If not, let’s break everything down together. First off, your vaccination card shows which local government unit (LGU) issued your vaccine; this would either be the LGU that corresponds to your residence or place of work. You’ll also notice that each LGU’s immunization card has a different design.

Next, the part you’re meant to fill out by yourself includes the following. If you haven’t yet, make sure to write all this down on your card:

• Name
• Birthdate
• Sex
• Home address
• Contact information

Some vaccination cards also include space for you to place an ID photo.

Finally, during your inoculation, the healthcare professional in charge of vaccinating you will be in charge of filling out the following information:

• Vaccine name/manufacturer
• Batch/lot no.
• Date of vaccination (for first dose and second dose, if any)
• Name and signature of healthcare professional who inoculated you

Taking care of your COVID-19 immunization card

Now that you have your vaccination card, it’s important that you take good care of it, just as you would with a birth certificate, passport, or credit card. As it’s the prime source of proof that you’ve been inoculated against COVID-19, this will prove to be important for travel, business, and school purposes. 

Travel-wise, proof of full vaccination can soon become an entry requirement for some destinations; it will also create the possibility of waiving the need for swab tests and quarantine upon arrival. In the long run, it may also come in handy if the government sees the need to create vaccination passports.

Here are a few dos and don’ts when it comes to taking care of your COVID-19 vaccination card:

Do NOT post photos of your personal & vaccination info on social media

We’re all for encouraging others to get vaccinated against COVID-19. But if you’re posting photos of your vaccination card on social media, do it responsibly. Avoid uploading photos of your personal and vaccination information — especially altogether — on your SNS profiles; even more so if your accounts are public! 

This is important to note in order to prevent identity theft, along with the creation of counterfeit vaccination cards. Posting all your information makes it easy for those who have yet to be vaccinated (or don’t plan to get vaccinated at all) to replicate your cards and use them for travel, business, and other purposes. 

We’ve heard countless stories of fake swab tests, so let’s be wary about fake vaccination cards as well.

Do keep it someplace safe

Here’s the thing about our vaccination cards: They aren’t exactly pocket- or wallet-sized. And if we’re taking our cards with us everywhere we go, this creates a large possibility of us losing them. It’s best if we keep them filed somewhere safe, and just take the physical copies with us when necessary. Which brings us to our next point…

Do make copies of your vaccination card

Just in case of emergencies, it’s good to keep copies of it handy. Photocopy it and keep hard copies, scan it and keep a soft copy, take photos of it and save them. Not only is it a great alternative for when you don’t need to present your actual vaccination card — it’s good to save all the pertinent information just in case you lose the physical copy.

Note: At the moment, we have yet to hear how to go about replacing a lost vaccination card. So, be sure to keep yours in a safe place and keep multiple copies of it.

Do NOT laminate it — use a plastic sleeve instead

I’m sure a lot of us had the same first thought: Time to laminate my vaccination card, ASAP! However, this is now being discouraged because at the event that we do need booster shots, they are likely to be recorded in the very same card. This being said, we have to make sure our cards can still be stamped and written on.

The better idea? Use a plastic sleeve, similar to the ones we use for IDs. This will do the job of keeping them free of stains and crumpling. Here are a few handy options we’ve found online:

• A pack of two plastic badge holders (various colours available)
• A pack of 10 transparent waterproof card holders
• A pack of three clear waterproof ID covers

Note: Since the sizes of our vaccination cards vary, it’s best to double check the measurements first!

Also read: Passport Renewal Amid COVID-19 for Philippine Passport Holders

According to the DTI, digital vaccine cards will soon be made available to those who have been vaccinated. No exact details have been given just yet — so until then, it’s best that we keep our actual cards safe and in tip-top condition.

Once again, congrats on getting protected against COVID-19! Remember to continue wearing your masks and keeping your hands clean. Plus, while you’re at it, you may even want to take advantage of the many discount promos being offered for vaccinated individuals!

Featured image credit: Viorel Poparcea via Canva Pro