What to do if you lose your COVID-19 vaccination card

Many of us had no idea how important our vaccination cards would be for jobs, outings and trips just months ago, but now, they are becoming nearly as important as a driver’s license or passport.

So, what happens if you damage or lose yours?

Well, the good news is that you will not be totally out of luck because there are ways to obtain a replacement.

If you were vaccinated at a hospital or a pharmacy, the CDC recommends contacting them directly to request a new vaccination card.

On the other hand, if you got your shot at a mass vaccination event, the CDC recommends contacting your state health department, which keeps records vaccines. To do that, you can fill out immunization record request forms in both Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Kelsey Nefzger, the Immunization Program Manager at Essentia Health, said that already there have been a number of inquiries for replacement cards.

She believes this is partly because of the card’s design.

“The card doesn’t fit very well in people’s wallets,” Nefzger said. “We do want people to know, it is okay to fold them. That’s totally fine.”

Nefzger believes this is also due to cards getting damaged—sometimes accidentally. This is why she advises people to use caution in laminating them.

“People try to use the heat laminate and then it either smears the ink or completely blacks out the card, so we are asking patients: ‘Don’t laminate them.’ But, if you really feel the need to laminate them, don’t use the heat laminate because that seems to be the issue with ruining the card,” Nefzger said.

St. Lukes said they also keep records of vaccines and are issuing replacement cards to people who lost or damaged theirs, even if they are not a patient of the hospital.

Health officials also say taking a picture of your COVID-19 vaccination card is a good idea, so you always have a copy on you.

More information about getting a new COVID-19 vaccination card can be found here.