(CONSUMER REPORTS/WTVF) — If you've gotten a COVID vaccine, you're familiar with the COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, and Consumer Reports has some tips on how to protect your card and your personal health information.
The first thing you want to do is take a picture of your card on both sides. Consumer Reports Health Editor Kevin Loria says the most important info on that card is the drug and lot numbers.
"Those numbers allow the manufacturers to track where and when different batches were made, to better trace and coordinate a response if contamination or other problems are detected,” said Loria.
If you’d like to add an extra layer of protection to the card, several office supplies stores, like Staples and Office Depot, will laminate them for free. Just make sure you’ve gotten all the necessary doses before you laminate.Then, store the card where you keep other important documents, like your passport and birth certificate.
But what happens if you lose your card?
“If you lose your card, don’t panic. Contact the location where you got your shot. They keep a record of everyone they have vaccinated and file it with the state’s immunization registry,” said Loria.
And something to keep an eye out for: Digital vaccine passports, especially if you're planning on traveling soon out of the country. And if you are traveling, make sure you research early what sorts of documents and/or apps you might need.
Depending on where you're going or what you're trying to do, you may need more than one app.
