COVID-19 vaccine verification cards — bemoaned for their inconvenient size and dimensions — are easy to lose. As more Maryland businesses and workplaces require proof of vaccination, those who have misplaced their verification cards might be fretting.
Luckily, you have a number of options if your vaccine card has gone astray. Here’s what you can do to get a replacement card.
Who should I contact to get a new card?
You can always call your vaccination site to see if they can print you a new one. This is rather easy if you were vaccinated at your neighborhood pharmacy, but trickier if you were vaccinated at a pop-up or mass vaccination site.
Another option is visiting Maryland MyIR (myirmobile.com), a free, online service that provides people with their official immunization records. Once you register, the service will find your record in the state immunization registry.
MyIR has officially partnered with the Maryland Department of Health, and is also working with the health departments in Arizona, Louisiana, Washington D.C., Mississippi, North Dakota, Washington state and West Virginia. MyIR is developing scannable QR codes in their mobile app, so people can easily whip out their proof of vaccination when entering establishments.
Charlie Gischlar, spokesman for the Maryland Department of Health, said you can email mdh.mdimmunet@maryland.gov or submit a Record Request Form in MyIR if any information is incorrect. He also listed the following phone numbers to call: 443-863-0121 or 443-303-8421 or 410-935-9295.
What if I got vaccinated in a different state, or have moved out of Maryland?
MyIR pulls records from Maryland’s immunization database, so if you were vaccinated elsewhere, it won’t show up. According to Gischlar, your vaccine provider would need to send your vaccine record to a health care provider or the health department in Maryland, who could then add it to the database.
Gischlar said any Marylander can access their vaccination record through MyIR even if they’ve moved elsewhere. To transfer your vaccine record to your new state database, you need to show your record to your new health care provider.
How should I safeguard my card?
If you haven’t taken a photo of your vaccination card with your phone yet — do it now. This is a better alternative to carrying the card around with you, as it can get lost easily.
Experts recommend against laminating your vaccination card, as you’ll need to record future booster shots on the card. For some people, this will be as soon as September.
Keep your card in a safe, memorable place, perhaps wherever you keep the rest of your important documents. You might consider visiting MyIR for an online backup, even if your vaccine card is safe and tucked away.