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Here’s what you should do with your COVID-19 vaccination card

PITTSBURGH — You’ve gotten your COVID-19 vaccine dose and accompanying small, white vaccination card. Now what?

Whether you get it at a large scale clinic or a smaller appointment, it contains important details.

The card highlights the number of doses you received and the provider who administered the shot along with the dates. Doctors said it’s basically a paper trail for your vaccination status.

Officials said taking a picture of the card is essential for backup purposes -- but hold onto the physical copy.

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That card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention serves as official documentation that you did receive both doses of the coronavirus vaccine (or one of the Johnson & Johnson).

According to the CDC, everyone should get a vaccination card after their first vaccination appointment. The card includes information such as when and where a person received the shot, their name and birthday, what type of vaccine they received and the vaccine lot number.

The card will likely will be needed to document your booster shot in the future. But if you misplace it, there is assistance.

“We recommend contacting your provider that you received your doses, they can issue you a new card. Not to panic because it is kept on record in the electronic health record where you’ve received your dose. It is also stored in the Pennsylvania Department of Health has a Pennsylvania immunization information system where all of your doses are also recorded there,” said Laura Mark, vice president of Pharmacy Allegheny Health Network.

Having proof of vaccination could be important for international travel or entering event venues or sporting events, though it is unclear how that might work. In Pennsylvania, there are no definitive plans about how COVID-19 vaccination cards might be used.

And if you plan on sharing a COVID-19 selfie on social media, block out your personal info so crooks can’t duplicate it or steal it.