Best Way to Show Your Vaccination Card

So you've gotten your booster shot, and now you're tired of staying cooped up at home.  You want to go to a movie, or a sporting event.  Many places require proof of that vaccine.  You'll need to show your vaccination card at the door to get in.  Funny that they've made these all-important cards out of paper.  They can get destroyed or lost so easily.  So what's the best way to show your proof and still keep your document safe?

You don't want to lose your vaccination card, or ruin it accidentally, so I would recommend keeping it home in a safe place.  Before putting it in a secure location, though, take a picture of it with your phone.  This is the most basic step you can take to show your proof of inoculation.

Depending on what you're looking to do when leaving the house, you may need to upload that picture to a specific app.  For instance, traveling to Canada requires you to download and use their ArriveCan app in order to enter the country.  Hawaii has a different app for entry, called AlohaSafe Alert.  

In New York City, they require you to show your vaccination card for entry into everything from museums to restaurants.  Many people in the city use the NYC Covid Safe app.  I downloaded this convenient little app on my phone before visiting family in Manhatten.  It was very easy to add the photo I had already taken of my card.  The app also has a spot to upload and show your driver's license and an optional recent negative Covid test.

Interestingly, upon returning to Ann Arbor, I found myself still using the NYC Covid Safe app.  One of the biggest reasons is that it helps me locate my vaccination card photo quickly.  Without the app, I'd be reliant on my phone's photo app.  When you take a picture with your phone, it goes into your photos app in chronological order.  That means I might have to scroll way back through all of my pics to find it again--especially if I've taken a lot of photos since.  If I use the NYC app, though, all I have to do is tap on the app, and I immediately see a picture of my card!

Now, I can go to a movie at the Michigan Theater, or a U of M Basketball game at Crisler Arena and show proof of my vaccination to get in--without struggling to find my card or risking its destruction.  You might like to try it, too.  Or, you might find a different app that does the same thing.  Whichever you choose, I highly recommend taking advantage of your phone's capabilities and leaving your original card at home.

---