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How To Protect Your COVID-19 Vaccination Card After Getting Your First Dose

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Cheng Sim •  May 17, 2021

As more countries around the world begin their vaccine roll-out, we're keeping our hopes up that more people will be vaccinated against COVID-19. If you have received your first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, you may be looking for ways to protect your COVID-19 vaccination card in case you need it for future travels. Even if you haven't been administered with COVID-19 vaccine, we hope these tips will come in handy soon!

1. Don't laminate your COVID-19 vaccination card

Credit: Virginia Department of Health on Facebook

Whatever you do, do not laminate your COVID-19 vaccination card. While some COVID-19 vaccines like CanSinoBio and Johnson & Johnson only requires a single dose, other vaccines like Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Sputnik V requires patients to be administered with two doses. If you laminate your COVID-19 vaccination card after your first dose, it would be tricky for the health authorities to update your card when your second appointment comes around.

In April 2021, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla also shared the possibility of a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to protect vaccinated patients against other COVID-19 variants such as the South African and Indian variants. So you might still need to update your card even though you've completed two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Another option is to laminate a copy of your COVID-19 vaccination card and not the original. That way, you can bring the laminated copy in your wallet or wherever you go while keeping the original card safe at home.

2. Keep it in a small plastic sleeve

Credit: Amazon

Instead of laminating your COVID-19 vaccination card, get a lanyard card holder or a small plastic sleeve with zipper closer to protect it from moisture or stains. You can buy them for your local bookstore, supermarket or online stores.

3. Take a photo or scan a copy for digital safekeeping

Credit: University of Illinois Springfield on Facebook

It's always good to have a digital copy of your COVID-19 vaccination card. We recommend taking a photo as back-up and keep it in your email or laptop.

4. Do not post your COVID-19 vaccination card on social media

It's definitely exciting to share updates about your COVID-19 vaccination progress, but it's best not to post your COVID-19 vaccination card as it contains sensitive information about yourself. If you want to keep your family and friends updated, make sure to have your personal information blurred out to avoid identity theft.

While we're excited to know that you're on your way to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, we hope this article will be helpful for you to safeguard your personal information on your COVID-19 vaccination card as well as keeping it safe for your future travels.