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The CDC suggests for individuals who have lost their vaccine cards to obtain new ones through their vaccine providers. (Photo by Jernej Furman | CC BY 2.0)

Students who have lost or misplaced their COVID-19 vaccine cards can obtain new ones before getting their booster shots by reaching out to their vaccine providers.

Both Penn and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommend booster shots for individuals 18 years old and older who have received the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines in light of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Vaccine providers may require that people bring their COVID-19 vaccine cards to document their boosters.

To obtain a new copy of a lost or misplaced vaccine card, the CDC recommends directly contacting the vaccine provider that administered the first and/or second dose of the person's COVID-19 vaccine. Every place that administers the COVID-19 vaccine keeps records of who they have vaccinated, which vaccine they have received, and when they received the vaccine, according to WebMD, and they should be able to replace the card.

The CDC does not provide COVID-19 vaccine cards nor maintain vaccination records, according to its website.

Vaccination providers are required to report COVID-19 vaccinations to their state’s health department’s immunization information system. If contacting one's vaccination provider is unsuccessful, the CDC recommends contacting the state health department’s Immunization Information System.

In addition, people who are enrolled in either the v-safe or VaxText services — which can monitor symptoms and send reminders about receiving additional doses — after receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, can also access their vaccination records on those platforms.

Individuals who were vaccinated outside of the United States did not receive CDC-labeled vaccine cards but rather cards issued by the foreign country they were vaccinated in. The CDC recommends keeping this document as proof of vaccination because the process for obtaining a new vaccine card is different for those who were vaccinated abroad.

The University is planning to host a COVID-19 booster shot clinic in the coming weeks, Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé told The Daily Pennsylvanian. For now, students can schedule an appointment to receive the COVID-19 booster shot at all three CVS pharmacy locations near campus.