What is the covid-19 vaccination card like in the US?
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(CNN) --
Oh no.
You can't find your vaccination card.
You've already searched your car, emptied your bag or backpack and turned your house upside down, but your vaccination card is nowhere to be found.
No one could have predicted before the pandemic that a small piece of white paper would matter so much in America.
It is the key to enter some auditoriums, travel to certain countries and much more.
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Unfortunately, there is no single solution to replace the precious document.
Here are some options in the US (and tips on things that don't work).
Do not contact the CDC
It may seem logical to call the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to have your card replaced.
After all, your logo is on it.
However, the agency was not the one who issued it.
The organization provides the cards to vaccine providers, who in turn provide them to the end user.
This also means that the CDC doesn't keep track of immunizations, so don't waste time asking about that either.
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Before you start calling, your shot records may be in your back pocket.
Some states, like Arizona, give people the option to view their records online.
The state uses a program called MyIR Mobile, a company that partners with some state departments to check your immunization history, schedule future appointments and, most importantly, print official immunization records.
Washington City, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, Washington State, and West Virginia also use this service.
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Utah use their own online systems or third-party companies so people can access their records.
If you live in Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, you can request your immunization history.
If you don't see your state listed, it's time to move on to plan B.
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Go to your pharmacy
If you're one of the millions of Americans who got vaccinated at Walgreens, Walmart, CVS or Rite Aid, it's your lucky day.
Walgreens customers should go to their local pharmacy to receive a new card, according to Walgreens spokeswoman Rebekah Pajak.
QR codes are also available for tests and vaccinations, both of which are SMART Health Cards that capture your information digitally.
If you got your shot at Walmart, go to the branch where you got it, Walmart spokeswoman Marilee McInnis said.
An employee will check your immunization record, confirm it using a state immunization registry, and issue the new card, she explained.
If you got vaccinated at CVS, you have several options.
First, you can view your vaccine information on the CVS app or on CVS.com, said CVS spokeswoman Amy Thibault.
Any CVS pharmacy can also print a shot record, she added.
Lastly, if you provided an email address when you made your vaccination appointment online, a vaccination record can be automatically emailed to you.
If Rite Aid was the site of your vaccination, sign in to your Rite Aid account online to receive a paper copy of your immunization records.
The company has also partnered with CLEAR, a digital immunization card service, so you can create a digital immunization card.
What other options are there?
If none of the above options work for you, go to your state department's immunization information system (IIS).
Vaccine providers are required to submit your vaccination data to the IIS, according to the CDC.
They can provide you with a copy of your immunization record, but they cannot give you a new card.
If you bring your immunization record to your doctor's office, the staff may be able to provide you with a new card.
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