Health experts, such as Hidalgo County Health Authority Dr. Ivan Melendez, say the COVID-19 vaccine card is a way to keep track of uncommon effects the injections may have on people.
Melendez said the card is how the rare and severe type of blood clot that has been reported in people after receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was tracked down.
“People will report where they got vaccinated and any adverse effects and then we keep that data in a local, state and national level so we can see trends,” he said.
On April 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine due to a small number of reports of the rare and severe type of blood clot.
Individuals who receive the vaccine should get a vaccination card and, according to Melendez, they are used to identify where, when and which of the vaccines people received.
People have thrown around the idea of a “COVID passport” to prove they have received the vaccine and return to normal activities; however, Health Authority for Cameron County James Castillo said that using vaccine cards for the reopening comes with a problem: individuals creating fake cards.
“The challenge is gonna be … if you’re going to come up with those policies, how do you prove that? That is going to be very challenging to do,” Castillo said.
Melendez said fake cards carry penalties.
“It’s illegal to do so because you are certifying something that didn’t exist. You would be penalized as if you falsified any other official paper,” he said.
Melendez also adds if people lose their vaccine cards, they should contact their vaccination site.
The CDC also recommends contacting the state health department to find out how to get a copy.
