How To Get A FL COVID-19 Vaccination Card Online
FLORIDA — While vaccines aren’t mandated in Florida, the state continues to tout them as the best tool for fighting COVID-19 and preventing extreme illness from the virus, especially during the current surge in cases caused by the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant.
“Vaccinations are the most effective tools to protect your health and prevent the spread of disease,” according to the Florida Department of Health’s website. “Vaccination against COVID-19 and other preventable diseases can protect against the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death. The COVID-19 vaccines used in the (United States) are safe, free and highly effective, including against known variants.”
As of Jan. 6, 14,963,166 Floridians — about 72 percent of those 5 and older who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine —have received at least one vaccine dose, FDOH data shows.
All three vaccine brands — Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — are available at many retail pharmacies, including CVS, Publix, Walgreens, Walmart and Winn Dixie. Florida residents and visitors can also get the shot at FDOH and other government-run vaccination sites throughout the state, as well as their private health care providers. A comprehensive list of locations where the vaccine is available can be found here.
There is no vaccine mandate in Florida, though. In fact, Gov. Ron DeSantis has gone to great lengths to ban businesses, venues, organizations and agencies from asking customers to see proof of their vaccination status before providing services or allowing them entry. He signed an executive order prohibiting these so-called “vaccine passports” in April last year. Businesses that ask customers for proof of vaccination can even be fined $5,000 per violation.
Still, many events and businesses give people the option of presenting a negative COVID-19 test or their vaccine card for entry. Cruises leaving from Florida also require proof of vaccination for many travelers. And if you’re traveling by plane or car, some other states and countries require proof of vaccination.
Your vaccination record card is an important piece of paperwork that documents each vaccine dose you receive, including which brand you received, when you received it and where you received it. You should bring it with you when you receive a second dose or a booster shot.
And while digital copies are accepted in some places, the original version — or the equivalent proof of vaccination — is required elsewhere.
So, what do you do if you lose your vaccine card?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends taking a picture of your vaccination record card after your vaccination appointment as a backup copy. The CDC doesn’t maintain vaccination records.
The agency also suggests enrolling in v-safe or VaxText after your first vaccine dose. These tools allow you to access your vaccination information.
If you’ve lost your vaccination record card, the CDC recommends you contact your vaccination provider directly. For instance, if you received your vaccine at CVS, you should contact the pharmacy for your records, or if your family doctor administered the shot, contact them.
If you were vaccinated at a state-run site and lost your card, you should submit a request to the Florida SHOTS (State Health Online Tracking System) Program online here, according to the Miami-Dade County website. You can also contact the Florida Department of Health by calling 877-888-7468 or emailing flshots@doh.state.fl.us.
All COVID-19 vaccination sites must submit information on the patients they vaccinated to Florida SHOTS, an online registry that tracks all immunization records — for all diseases, not just coronavirus — in the state. There’s no cost to use the Florida SHOTS system.
If you don’t have any luck getting a replacement vaccination record card trying the suggestions above, find your local county health department and reach out to them for additional instructions.
This article originally appeared on the Miami Patch
