Oh, great, you’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19. Now all you have to do is prove it.
Many businesses, employers and venues have issued authorizations for Covid-19 vaccines, which means you will need proof of vaccination to get in the door. In the U.S., those paper cards that are a little too big for a wallet are the primary official record of someone getting vaccinated. Carrying them around can be a pain and can be lost as easily as anything else in your pocket. Fortunately, there are ways to digitize them. usually.
While places like the EU provide official digital vaccine certificates to all their citizens, the US is a bit…complicated. Here’s how to do it.
Security First
As with any type of personal information, you should consider the potential risks of dumping your deets online. Last year, Apple said it was working on a feature that would allow users to store their driver’s license and state ID in Apple Wallet. The move raised some concerns among security experts, who noted that even if Apple itself couldn’t access the files, hackers or overzealous law enforcement could. In some cases, it might be a good idea to use Google or Apple Wallet. (They’re more secure than your credit card anyway.) Keep in mind, though, that contactless payment services can be hacked, and the same can happen to your vaccine card.
GET OFFICIAL INFORMATION
The first thing you need is an official digital record of your vaccine information. This may come from government websites, your healthcare provider, or where you received injections.
Depending on where you live, getting records from the government can be tricky. Some states make this easy and provide access to digital records through the SMART Health Card. This is currently the case in California, Louisiana, Hawaii, parts of Maryland and Colorado. They are also available in parts of Canada. Smart cards are used everywhere here.
Other states may not be so simple, with some governors outright banning digital Covid vaccine records in the name of “medical freedom.” You must check your state’s official resource website.
If you have been vaccinated from your usual healthcare provider, you can also get information from them. Depending on where you were vaccinated, the company itself may digitize your vax card. You can generate digital vaccine records using Walmart, Sam’s Club, Rite Aid, and Express Scripts. All of these require you to have an account and be logged in.
Once you have your virtual vaccine card, you can leave it on your device and pull it out when needed. To make the process smoother, you can Add it to your phone’s wireless payment app for near-instant access. The method is as follows…
Apple Health/Wallet
Image: Apple
A feature Apple added to the Health app in iOS 15 enables Users are able to save and share medical records with other healthcare providers, including their Covid vaccine status. You can also save cards in Apple Wallet, so you can be ready before the burly bouncer at your local tiki bar starts glaring at you.
