NORFOLK, Va. — In Virginia and North Carolina, there are more ways to prove your vaccination status than the physical card you received at the time of you vaccination.
Vaccinated Virginians and North Carolinians can now get digital copies of their COVID-19 immunization records through online portals in the commonwealth and Tar Heel state.
Virginia
The Virginia Department of Health launched the Vaccination Record Request Portal. By typing in your name, birthday, and zip code, the VDH will prompt you with a six-digit code sent to your phone via text or call.
After confirming your identity, the VDH portal will display an official, downloadable and printable vaccine record that contains the same information as the card given at the time of vaccination.
QR codes, which have gained in popularity during the pandemic as contact-less options at restaurants and other businesses, have not yet been incorporated into this digital push.
But according to Dr. Danny Avula, the state's vaccine coordinator, Virginia is working to roll out a QR code system that links to a person's vaccination status.
“In the next couple of weeks we’ll have that functionality. So for those companies requiring you to have a QR code to get on a flight, participate in an activity, we’ll provide that for Virginians," Dr. Avula said in a teleconference last week.
A vaccine passport, however, is not on the table for the VDH according to Dr. Avula.
North Carolina
North Carolina has the same technology as Virginia, but already has QR code capabilities built into this digital alternative.
By logging into the state's COVID-19 vaccine portal, vaccinated people can similarly acquire downloadable and printable copies of their COVID-19 immunization records.
Within that record, is a unique QR code that is scannable through a phone camera, which will prompt an easy-to-access notification. When swiped down on that notification, people can copy or screenshot the information to their phone.