Lost or damaged your COVID-19 vaccination card? Here’s how you can still get the shot in NC

Whether or not you’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine can determine when and where you have to mask up to how long you have to quarantine if exposed to someone positive for the virus.

That means your vaccine card — that paper card you were given when you got your first dose to document your vaccination status — is an important thing to keep track of.

It’s not hard to imagine a small piece of paper could eventually get lost or damaged. If that does happen, you do have options.

Here’s what to know about replacing a lost COVID vaccine card in North Carolina, as well as more information on your card and how to protect it.

What’s a vaccine card?

Your vaccine card is documentation of your vaccination status that you should receive after your first shot, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, regardless of where you get your vaccine.

When you get your first dose, your vaccine provider will add information including which vaccine you received, when you received it and where you received it to the card, a little-bigger-than-wallet-sized piece of paper.

The cards are also meant to serve as a reminder to get your second dose of one of the two-dose vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna) and, if you’re eligible, your booster.

You should bring your card with you to your appointments to receive a second dose and booster so that your vaccine provider can add that information.

How to replace a lost or damaged COVID-19 vaccine card in North Carolina

If you were vaccinated against COVID-19 in North Carolina and need a replacement vaccine card, your next step will be determined by your vaccine provider, according to the North Carolina Department of Health.

Those who got their shot from a chain pharmacy or store, such as CVS or Harris Teeter, will need to contact the store directly.

If you were vaccinated at a doctor’s office, hospital, locally owned pharmacy, health department office or community event, you may be able to access your proof of vaccination through the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Portal. You also have the option of contacting your provider.

And if you received a vaccine on a military base, at a VA hospital or a Tribal or Urban Indian Health facility, you should contact the agency or location where you got your shot.

How to access vaccine records online

If you’re looking for your COVID-19 vaccine records, you should contact your vaccine provider or try the state’s Vaccine Portal (see above).

But if you’re looking for information on other immunizations, the CDC recommends contacting your state’s immunization information system. North Carolina’s is primarily for health care providers and “not intended for general public use,” but your doctor may be able to use the system to find your records for you.

Does North Carolina have a digital vaccine passport?

The idea of “vaccine passports” — mobile apps that can be shown or scanned to verify your vaccination status — has been somewhat controversial, but some states have launched them.

As of the start of 2022, North Carolina is not one of them. However, if your vaccination records are available in North Carolina’s COVID-19 Vaccine Portal, you’ll find a QR code on your printable records, the state’s health department says. That code, which when scanned by a QR reader app or mobile phone camera will display your proof of vaccination, can then be saved to your mobile device.

Also, the CDC and North Carolina’s health department both recommend taking photos of the front and back of your vaccine cards so that you have a digital “backup copy.”

Laminating your COVID-19 vaccine card

If you’re fully vaccinated, laminating your vaccine card is an option for helping to preserve it.

You should be cautious of laminating your card, though, if your vaccine provider used a sticker to add your vaccine information to the card, because the heat from the lamination process can damage certain kinds of stickers.

Lamination services are often available at office supply stores.

This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 2:33 PM.