SAN ANTONIO – If you have the COVID-19 vaccine but you lose your vaccination card, what do you do?
It’s a question people have asked online and it turns out there are actually several different ways you might be able to get a new vaccination card if yours is lost or destroyed.
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When you get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, you should be given a vaccination card that lists the provider of the vaccine (Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson) as well as the site where you received the dose.
In most cases, you can return to the site where you received the vaccine and request a copy of your vaccination card.
If you received your second dose at a different location than the first, that provider will typically be able to verify where you received your first dose and still issue you a new vaccination card.
Retailers like CVS and Walgreens also have vaccine information for patients on their respective websites. If you received your first or second dose at one of these retailers you can create an account online and access your COVID-19 vaccination records.
There’s no need to panic if that option isn’t available to you or if the provider is unable to issue you a replacement card.
“What happens is that we record all of your vaccinations in your electronic medical record that has a link to the state’s vaccination registry,” vice president and chief pharmacy officer at the University of Chicago Medicine Kevin Colgan told the Washington Post.
State health departments are also able to issue replacement vaccination cards. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) uses the Texas Immunization Registry, called ImmTrac2, to keep vaccine records.
Texas law requires written consent by individuals to participate in the registry, according to ImmTrac2. It’s 100% free and consolidates individuals’ immunization records from multiple sources into one centralized system.
DSHS requires all COVID‑19 vaccine providers to report vaccine administration data to the ImmTrac2 within 24 hours of administration. So, allow 24 hours after your dose for this information to become available online.
The CDC also recommends taking a photo of your vaccination card as a backup copy.