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COVID-19 vaccine card

Everything you need to know about your COVID-19 vaccine card

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As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more widely available, providing proof of vaccination will likely be required by venues, establishments, and travel services going forward. Here’s what you need to know about your COVID-19 vaccine card. 

COVID-19 vaccine card

COVID-19 vaccine card, the new “passport.” (Image credit: Governor Jim Justice, PDM-owner, via Wikimedia Commons)

COVID-19 vaccine card: The new “passport” 

Many are beginning to call the COVID-19 vaccine cards vaccination “passports” as many venues and services are now requiring proof of vaccination for access and admittance to large gatherings. 

In New York, as the state reopens large venues and catered events at reduced capacity, proof of vaccination or recent negative test results will be required. Additionally, events with more than 100 people, such as weddings or parties, will also require proof of vaccination. 

With COVID-19 vaccine cards set to become another essential document, it’s important you keep it safe. 

What’s on the vaccine card and how to keep it safe? 

The COVID-19 vaccine card is issued to you upon your first vaccination and updated after your second dose. The card will typically contain the vaccine manufacturer, the dose numbers and the date and location each was administered. 

To keep the cards safe, many people have begun laminating them. Companies such as Staples, Office Depot, and OfficeMax are now offering free laminating services to those who are looking to laminate their vaccine card. Staples has provided the offer code 81450, and this offer currently does not have an end date. For Office Depot and OfficeMax, customers can use the offer code 52516714 through July 25.

While the vaccine card is an important document, officials have stated that it does not need to be on a person at all times, and should be kept safe like other important documents like your passport and social security card. Though replacing a lost or damaged vaccine card will be much easier than replacing other essential documents. 

COVID-19 vaccine card

COVID-19 vaccine cards should be kept safe like other essential documents. (Image credit: Ministry of Health, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

If you were vaccinated at a pharmacy your card can be easily replaced by returning to where you were vaccinated and requesting a new card. The pharmacy will then print out a new card from your records. 

Vaccinations are also tracked by state health departments, so if you have trouble retrieving a new card you can reach out to your state’s agency to get a replacement. 

Additionally, digital document options and apps are rapidly becoming available which will hopefully make sharing vaccination proof and status much quicker and hassle-free. 

New York is already ahead of the game as the first state to introduce a digital tool that allows people to easily show that they have either tested negative or been vaccinated, to gain entry into some events and venues. 

You might be interested: CDC releases new guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals

Until more states catch up, be sure to keep your card safe and make backups by taking a photo of your card, emailing the photo to yourself, or saving the photo somewhere secure.

Additional perks that come with your card 

In addition to the health benefits of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, a number of companies and businesses are now offering perks as incentives for people to go out and get vaccinated. 

krispy kreme donut

Krispy Kreme is offering one free glazed doughnut per day for individuals who have been fully vaccinated. (Image credit: Willis Lam, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Flashing your proof of vaccine card will get you: 

  • one free glazed doughnut per day from Krispy Kreme
  • 10-cent beers at Cleveland’s Market Garden Brewery
  • free 44-ounce popcorn at Cleveland Cinemas
  • $5 in free arcade tokens at Up-Down, a Midwestern chain of bars featuring vintage arcade games
  • free or discounted rides from Uber for seniors, essential workers and others in countries across North America, Europe and Asia to help them get to vaccination centers 
  • free yogurt from Chobani at some vaccination sites 

And many more! So be sure to take a look at what your local businesses and companies may be offering after you have been vaccinated and put your COVID-19 vaccine card to good use.

CDC releases new guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals

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The CDC has released new guidelines and recommendations for fully vaccinated people. The new CDC guidelines state that fully vaccinated individuals can safely visit other vaccinated people and small groups of unvaccinated people in some circumstances. 

Covid-19 vaccine,

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

“Fully vaccinated” is defined by the CDC as those who are two weeks past their second dose of the Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines or two weeks past a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The CDC will continue to update its guidance as more information becomes available though currently there is growing evidence that suggests people who are vaccinated do not spread Covid-19. However, scientists are still trying to understand how long vaccine protection lasts.

“The level of precautions taken should be determined by the characteristics of the unvaccinated people, who remain unprotected against Covid-19,” the guidelines state.

The new CDC guidelines state fully vaccinated people can:

  • Visit other vaccinated people indoors without masks or physical distancing
  • Visit indoors with unvaccinated people from a single household without masks or physical distancing, if the unvaccinated people are at low risk for severe disease.
  • Skip quarantine and testing if exposed to someone who has Covid-19 but are asymptomatic, but should monitor for symptoms for 14 days
CDC guidelines

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

This means that vaccinated grandparents may finally feel comfortable visiting their unvaccinated grandchildren, especially if they’re local, and as long as none of the unvaccinated people in that household are at risk for severe Covid-19.

And two fully vaccinated individuals, such as you and a friend, may now finally have dinner together.

However, there are still some precautions that fully vaccinated people must take in certain scenarios. CDC guidelines state fully vaccinated people must:

  • Wear a mask and keep good physical distance around the unvaccinated who are at increased risk for severe Covid-19, or if the unvaccinated person has a household member who is at higher risk
  • Wear masks and physically distance when visiting unvaccinated people who are from multiple households.

You might be interested: ‘It’s Up To You’ Campaign to Educate Millions of Americans about COVID-19 Vaccines

Additionally, fully vaccinated people should continue basic safety precautions, including: wearing a well-fitted mask and keeping physical distance in public; avoiding medium- and large-sized crowds; avoiding poorly ventilated public spaces; washing hands frequently; and getting tested for Covid-19 if they feel sick.

source: https://unsplash.com/@unitednations

“There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that fully vaccinated people are less likely to have asymptomatic infection, and therefore potentially less likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others,” said Tami Skoff, CDC epidemiologist on the Clinical Guidelines Team of the Vaccine Task Force.

Still, it is important that vaccinated individuals continue to practice safety precautions and distancing around vulnerable individuals such as older adults, pregnant women, and immuno-compromised individuals. The guidelines also discourage vaccinated individuals from gathering with more than one unvaccinated household. 

“According to the CDC recommendations, if unvaccinated persons from more than one household are participating in a visit, then these visits should continue to happen outside and everyone regardless of vaccination status should be physically distanced and wearing well-fitted masks,” said Skoff.

Additionally, even fully vaccinated people need to be careful when traveling, said Dr. Cynthia Ogden of CDC’s Covid emergency response team, and the CDC notes that its travel recommendations have not changed. 

“While we work to vaccinate more people, preventive measures such as pre- and post-travel testing and post-travel self quarantine, along with wearing well-fitted masks, will help us prevent the spread of Covid-19,” Ogden said.

“No vaccine is perfect. A small number of people could still get Covid-19 after getting fully vaccinated and they could spread the virus to unvaccinated people. We will be closely watching the trends in cases over the next month,” she said. “Until more is known and vaccine coverage increases, some preventive measures will continue to be necessary for all people, regardless of vaccination status.”

covid-19 vaccine

‘It’s Up To You’ Campaign to Educate Millions of Americans about COVID-19 Vaccines

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Major brands, media companies, community-based organizations, faith leaders and other trusted messengers to extend reach of ‘It’s Up To You’ campaign message across all channels with a focus on Black and Hispanic communities, who have been hit hardest by the pandemic. 

The Ad Council and COVID Collaborative have revealed the platform for their COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative, “It’s Up To You.” Representing one of the largest public education efforts in U.S. history, more than 300 major brands, media companies, community-based organizations, faith leaders, medical experts and other trusted messengers are supporting the campaigns designed to reach distinct audiences. These partners include Adobe, Apple, Black Information Network, Facebook, Google/YouTube, iHeartMedia, NAACP, NBCUniversal, Pandora/SiriusXM/SoundCloud, Telemundo, UnidosUS, ViacomCBS and more.

covid-19 vaccine

Photo by Hakan Nural on Unsplash

“It’s Up to You” Campaign to educate about Covid-19 Vaccines

Created in close partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the campaigns urge audiences to visit GetVaccineAnswers.org (DeTiDepende.org in Spanish) to get the latest information about COVID-19 vaccines, with the ultimate goal of helping the public feel confident and prepared to get vaccinated once a vaccine is available to them.

“With the ‘It’s Up To You’ platform, we’re listening to America’s top questions, understanding their concerns and working to educate and empower people across the country – particularly communities of color who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic – so they can make an informed choice about vaccination for themselves and for their families,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “Our extraordinary partners across the communications industry are uniquely positioned to amplify these critical messages at scale. Through this truly unprecedented effort, we can get back to the moments we all miss and save lives.”

According to Ad Council research, approximately 40% of the public have not yet made a firm decision to get vaccinated as soon as vaccines are available to them. Additionally, their research shows that Black and Hispanic Americans who are undecided are significantly less confident they have enough information to guide their decision about getting a COVID-19 vaccination, compared to those intending to get vaccinated. The data reveals that targeted efforts are needed to specifically  reach communities of color who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and where there is considerable distrust in the government and medical community and high hesitancy toward the vaccines. 

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Approximately three-quarters of consumers who are undecided say they want information to address their questions about the vaccines, even if vaccines are not yet available to them.

“Public education is a critical component of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic — it is a shared effort to empower people to protect themselves, especially those in disproportionately burdened populations,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky. “Just as we are taking action to address the inequities this pandemic laid bare, we need a concerted approach to bring an end to the pandemic and to leverage the lessons learned during COVID-19 to achieve optimal health for all.”

To reach vaccine hesitant individuals across the country, “It’s Up To You” is taking an empathetic approach that reaffirms that it’s understandable to have questions about the vaccines. “It’s Up To You” conveys that one of the best ways to get back to the moments and people we miss is by getting vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Creative assets in English and Spanish will appear nationwide across broadcast TV, digital, radio and social media, including content developed by modern culture marketing agency Alma, which customized the creative platform to produce “De Ti Depende,” a campaign designed to resonate with Hispanic communities in the U.S. 

“This is not only the most important campaign of our generation, but it needs to be the largest too,” said PJ Pereira, Creative Chairman, Pereira O’Dell. “It had to be an idea that worked not only for the audience, but allowed for brands and publishers to make it theirs, too.”

Leading brands, platforms, and organizations

The initiative will collaborate with a wide range of organizations to inform the development and distribution of culturally resonant content for Black and Hispanic audiences. Providing valuable tools and resources, events, and point-of-care and point-of-purchase educational materials for communities of color, these partners include the Black Coalition Against COVID-19 (BCAC), NAACP, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Medical Association, National Urban League, UnidosUS, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) and others.

Leading brands, media companies and social platforms and services are developing custom content and donating media to extend the “It’s Up To You” campaign message, connecting their audiences with crucial and vetted information about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Some partners include:

— Apple is a Founding Partner of the COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative. As part of its commitment to health, Apple will help the Ad Council keep customers informed about the benefits of the vaccine through its services, including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple News, and more.

— Disney will leverage resources across a variety of its platforms (ABC, ESPN, Freeform, FX, Hulu, National Geographic) to support “It’s Up To You” PSAs.

— Google/YouTube, in addition to being a Founding Partner, is integrating the Ad Council’s vaccine campaign into their larger “Get the Facts” COVID-19 vaccine marketing efforts. Google/YouTube is also making concerted efforts to support the Ad Council’s industry movement, providing advertisers with bespoke support, insights & resources to scale their message using Google and YouTube platforms and tools.

— NBCUniversal and Telemundo are creating custom video and banner assets in both English and Spanish for support across the NBCUniversal ecosystem, also made available to other networks. NBCUniversal is also a Founding Partner of the Ad Council’s COVID-19 vaccine education initiative.

— Sesame Workshop will develop custom PSAs in English and Spanish for grownups and families, featuring their iconic characters.

— Spotify will produce custom audio PSAs and messaging points for podcast host reads to promote COVID-19 vaccine awareness and education, distributed across donated media on its free tier and integrated into podcasts on its platform.

— Twitter is developing a custom hash-emoji on behalf of the campaign and will also host and spotlight a live Q&A on their platform, featuring a medical expert to address the top COVID-19 vaccine questions facing their users.

Since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, the Ad Council has mobilized the industry to launch an unprecedented, multi-pronged communications effort to combat COVID-19. To date, the Ad Council’s COVID-19 efforts have resulted in over 47 billion impressions, $445 million in donated media value, and nearly 33 million visits to Coronavirus.gov.

covid19 vaccination

COVID19 Vaccination marks historic day in New Jersey

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As Covid19 vaccination marks a historic day in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy, University Hospital President and CEO Shereef Elnahal, State health Commissioner Judy Persichilli and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. walked around the University Hospital’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark.
They watched the first five New Jersey healthcare workers being vaccinated. A small medical refrigerator stocked with thawed vaccines stood next to three computer screens at the end of the room.
covid19 vaccination

Governor Murphy, University Hospital President and CEO Dr. Shereef Elnahal, Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Dean Dr. Robert Johnson, and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. visit and inspect University Hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic in Newark on Tuesday, December 15, 2020 (Edwin J. Torres 2020).

Maritza Beniquez, a resident nurse at the University Hospital emergency department, answered a series of questions from ambulatory care tech Sady Ferguson as pharmacists readied the coronavirus vaccine: Does she have allergies? Did she have a fever in the last 48 hours? Is she pregnant or planning on getting pregnant. Did she have recent exposure to COVID-19?“Every day in the emergency room,” Beniquez answered.

Maritza Beniquez was the first person in New Jersey to receive the vaccination. (Photo credit Edwin J. Torres 2020).

Covid19 vaccination starts with Pfizer vaccine

Beniquez smiled as Ferguson injected the Pfizer vaccine into her right arm at 8:10 a.m. on Tuesday, making her the first New Jerseyan to receive the coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials. She received her first dose of the two-dose vaccine on her 56th birthday at University Hospital’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark.

“This is the best birthday present ever!” Beniquez said, as people clapped and cheered. “I can see that light at the end of the tunnel. This is it. It’s a great way to celebrate my birthday.”

Beniquez remained in her blue leather chair for fifteen minutes, until hospital staff told her she was free to go. She said she examined her arm after because she didn’t feel the shot.
Four other healthcare workers received Covid19 vaccinations during Murphy’s visit: Robert Johnson, dean of the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Justin Sambol, senior associate dean for clinical affairs at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Yvelisse Covington, medical office assistant in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic at University Hospital; and Charles Farmer, an emergency room doctor at New Jersey Medical School.
Covid19 vaccination

Four other healthcare workers received vaccinations during Murphy’s visit: Robert Johnson, dean of the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Justin Sambol, senior associate dean for clinical affairs at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Yvelisse Covington, medical office assistant in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic at University Hospital; and Charles Farmer, an emergency room doctor at New Jersey Medical School. (Photo credit Edwin J. Torres 2020).

On Tuesday, about 80 healthcare workers total will be inoculated at the University Hospital clinic. The clinic –which has the capacity to vaccinate 600 people a day–will be open from 8:30 to 7:00 p.m. each day, depending on supplies, according to Andre Emont, director of pharmaceutical services at University Hospital. The hospital received just under 3,000 doses in its first shipment.