Virtual COVID vaccination card question.

[dannyv23]

Hello everyone, we're sailing out soon from Florida but we're California residents. The state provides us virtual cards with the type of vaccine received and dates administered that have our name and date of birth and other important info that also includes a QR code to verify this information. It's meant to easily provide proof of vax wherever you may need it. You keep it in your wallet on your phone and it's very convenient.

 

Has anyone used one of these virtual vaccine cards (specifically the California one) with Royal Caribbean? I honestly have no idea where my physical card is and I hope this virtual card is enough.

[rudeney]

That's an interesting question, which reminds me that I have a related issue with my wife's vaccine card.  She got her single-dose J&J shot at CVS.  This was a the very beginning of availability (3/7/2020).  They said they had run out of official CDC vaccine cards, so they used a photocopy (single-sided showing just the front).  They did fill in the appropriate info.  It's hand-written, not a sticker from the dosage vial.  She did get a booster, and at a different independent pharmacy, and they just added that dosage info (also handwritten) to the existing paper photocopy. 

 

Being concerned that this may look like a fake vaccine card, I did some research and found that I could download a PDF from CVS showing her vaccine info (name, DOB, brand, date, lot #).  It does include a QR code.  The problem is, our state does not support tracking COVID vaccines.  My understanding is the QR code tracks back to state records, but without them, it's useless.   I am going to bring both her vaccine "card" and this paper, but I hope this isn't a problem.  I am going to be highly pissed if CVS's lack of official CDC cards causes us to be denied boarding.  

 

[ReneeFLL]

@rudeneyCan you go back to CVS and see if they now have cards they can put the info on?

[ZoeyVictoria]

Our original vaccine cards from Publix were in bad shape in spite of plastic sleeves and careful handling.  The labels from the vials were applied off the edge of the card, folded in the middle of the information, and the ink was faded right from the start.  The pharmacist at Publix made up new cards for us at the time we received our second boosters.  They are handwritten and he started a second card for that second booster.  We have cruised three times since then  (Royal, Princess, Carnival) and there has been no problems or extra scrutiny at all.  

[irishgal432]

Not sure where you are located, but I called my county health department and asked for my vaccine record and they sent a print out of all of my flu etc shots as well as a new card.

[rudeney]

 

10 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

@rudeneyCan you go back to CVS and see if they now have cards they can put the info on?

 

They said to go online, hence the paper I have with the QR code.  I think it will be fine - I laminated our cards so they look the same and you can't tell hers is paper except that it has nothing on the back.

 

2 hours ago, irishgal432 said:

Not sure where you are located, but I called my county health department and asked for my vaccine record and they sent a print out of all of my flu etc shots as well as a new card.

 

Apparently, our state and local health departments don't keep those records.  Hence the reason that the QR code on that download form CVS doesn't work - to read it, you have to get an app connected to the state/county health department and it decodes it.  Ours have no such app.

 

I appreciate the ideas, but I think we'll be fine.  One thing that is in our favor is that we both got the single-shot J&J and a booster.  We got our boosters at the same pharmacy, so our entries have the same date and lot number, and mine is on a real card.  I am guessing that if they scrutinize her card to the point of thinking it's fake, they can compare it to mine.