By Stephanie Humphrey
Whether you’ve made the decision to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or not, restaurants, concert venues, and other businesses around the country have started making the decision to only allow fully vaccinated people to patronize their establishments.
We’ve also seen colleges and some companies requiring proof of vaccination for their students or employees as well. If you are planning to take advantage of these new rules to dine out safely or need to show your status as you’re walking in to work, the last thing you want to do is whip out an old, torn, or damaged vaccination card from your wallet or purse.
The information on the card may no longer be readable and could be subject to dismissal as fraudulent. Or you may have laminated your card to protect it, but now you can’t quite remember where you put it. Whatever the case, there are a few easy tech solutions for storing your vaccination information on your smartphone for safe keeping.
Take a photo – If you have a smartphone, you can easily take a photo of your vaccination card and keep it in the camera roll on the phone. One suggestion would be to store the picture in a hidden album (iPhone) or create a locked folder (Android) to prevent someone who may be casually scrolling through your pictures to see it.
Scan to Notes – If you have an iPhone, you can also scan your vaccination card with the Notes app and then lock the note with a passcode or FaceID to protect your info. On Android, you can download an app like ColorNote and secure your scanned card with a passcode.
Get a Vaccine Passport – Using a service like VaxYes is another way to securely store your vaccination info on your smartphone. The service, provided by a company called GoGetDoc, uses the highest level of encryption currently available to “make sure your personal information is secure in a HIPAA compliant environment.” You upload a copy of your vaccination card and your ID, and you receive a verified digital vaccination certificate that includes a QR code. You can then store the certificate in your Apple Wallet or Google Pay wallet to be easily scanned when needed. You can also check with your state to see if they may offer a storage solution as well. If you’re a frequent traveler, VeriFLY and Clear are two additional services that have added the ability to store vaccination info and are widely accepted by various airports and airlines around the world.
As the number of businesses and other organizations that require proof of COVID-19 vaccination status continues to rise, the way you choose to store and protect your personal health information should move beyond a handwritten piece of cardstock in your back pocket. Take advantage of these simple and easy to use technology solutions to keep you comfortably out in public and keep your info safe.
Stephanie Humphrey is a former engineer turned Tech-Life Expert and author. She is a contributor to ‘Good Morning America’ and Fox 29’s ‘Good Day Philadelphia’. You can find Stephanie all around the web @TechLifeSteph and get her book “Don’t Let Your Digital Footprint Kick You in the Butt!” on Amazon.
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