Doctor’s orders: Don’t post your COVID-19 vaccine card online

Manny Otiko | California Black Media

Public health experts are warning vaccinated people to not post photos of their vaccine cards on social media or anywhere else online.

“Don’t share it on social media because there is protected health information on it,” said Dr. Jerry Abraham, a physician who works at the Kedran Community Health Center in Los Angeles.

He warned people who get vaccinated to keep the information on the front of the card away from the view of scammers or other bad actors who could compromise their security.

Abraham said, for now, the white CDC vaccine cards are the only proof that an individual has been inoculated against COVID-19.

“Really the only piece of evidence you have right now, that is absolutely your confident verification is that CDC vaccination card for COVID-19 vaccines that lists your first and second dose from Moderna or Pfizer or just that one shot from Johnson & Johnson.”

Usually on the back the series is completed after that. That data is entered and pushed to the California immunization registry, he said.

Abraham made the comment during a news briefing organized by California Black Media in partnership with The Center at the Sierra Health Foundation and the State of California titled “Get Smart on COVID-19.”

Organizers said the “series is designed to equip Black journalists with the information they need to write authoritatively about COVID-19 vaccinations and harm reduction measures – topics where there is significant misinformation and widespread mistrust.”

Other consumer advocates and public safety experts have also shared their concerns about people posting their vaccine cards online. They said sometimes criminals work for a long time piecing personal information together about possible victims, including birth dates.