Lost COVID vaccine card? Ways to prove vaccination status

WAUWATOSA, Wis. - Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is quickly becoming a passport into places of employment, colleges and entertainment venues. But what happens if someone loses their vaccine card?

The Wauwatosa Health Department is getting calls about it every day. Anyone who loses their vaccine registry card should first call wherever they got their shot. When that doesn't work, there is an online database that has been keep track of all immunizations.

"We do have calls that we receive pretty much daily of people who are looking to get a copy of their vaccine record," said Emily Tianen, interim public health nurse supervisor with the Wauwatosa Health Department.

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Tianen said many people misplaced their vaccine cards right after their first dose. She sees it becoming a bigger issue in the coming months as more places require proof of vaccination.

"I certainly think it could be. One of the things we recommended was people take a picture on their phones so they would have," Tianen said.

When a photo isn't enough, there's the Wisconsin Immunization Registry.

"Anytime you receive a vaccine you are consenting to having it entered into there," said Tianen.

Tetanus vaccines and even flu shots should all be kept in the online database. People need their social security number to access it, but the vaccine history will not show up if the shot was received out of state.

"When school starts again, we utilize the registry a lot more as parents have to show proof of the vaccines their kids need to attend school," Tianen said.

Tianen said it is still not a good idea to laminate vaccine cards in case a booster shot is ever needed. That, too, would be recorded in the registry.

In Wauwatosa, city workers who interact with the public are once again required to wear masks. So far, there is no vaccine mandate for city employees.

DHS details on missing vaccine cards

Vaccination cards have information on when and where someone received their vaccine as well as other helpful information related to the COVID-19 vaccine. People may also visit the Wisconsin Immunization Registry for an electronic version. When taking pictures or posting selfies about getting your COVID-19 vaccine, do not post photos of the vaccination card online so health information is protected. Do not laminate the vaccination card.

If someone loses their COVID-19 vaccination card:

• DHS cannot issue COVID-19 vaccination cards. Try any of the following to get a new one or access the vaccine information.
• Call the provider where they were vaccinated to see if they can give a new card.
• If they received the vaccination in Wisconsin, access their vaccination record using the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR).
• If they have a social security number, Medicaid ID, or Health Care Member ID, they can access your record through the Public Immunization Record Access webpage.

If someone does not have one of those numbers, they can access their record one of two ways:

• Option 1: Fill out the Wisconsin Immunization Registry Record Release Authorization, F-02487 and have the records sent.
• Option 2: Ask the organization that vaccinated them to assign a chart number in WIR. The chart number field is linked to the Health Care Member ID.
• Then, visit the Public Immunization Record Access webpage and enter the chart number assigned to in the Health Care Member ID field.

If someone received their vaccination in another state, go to that state department of health’s website to search their vaccine registry.

This information is included under the "Don’t Forget" tab on our website: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/vaccine-prepare.htm.