Covid shot so my vaccination card matches my ID documents?
August 1, 2021 12:12 PM   Subscribe

Are there any health issues if I get another vaccination? I want my card to match my ID

I was fully vaccinated early this year when working in a healthcare position. I'm in the United States. The vaccination card I have from that does not match my current name on my ID. For reasons, it would be problematic to try to change the vaccination record in the state where I received it.

Vaccination cards are required for various things now, and assuming there will be more of these. I have not yet been asked to show my vaccination card where I am now, but its probably going to come up at some point and there could be some problems with that for me.

One way to handle the card issue would be to get vaccinated and get a vax card with the correct information on it. I've considered the ethics on this and in the state where I now live, there is lots of vaccine available for everyone who wants them. But are there any health issues I should be aware of before doing this? I got the Pfizer vax before, could there be some benefit to getting a different one? Thinking of J&J, since its one and done. Are there any health reasons not to do this?

Forging vaccination cards is illegal, very illegal, so please do not suggest.
posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)
 
How about just getting a certified copy of the documents confirming your name change, and keeping them on hand to present when your vaccine record needs to be checked?
posted by ananci at 12:40 PM on August 1, 2021 [6 favorites]


Health issues from doing this are unlikely, but possible. Either of the two vaccination pathways open to you (2x mRNA followed by J&J, or a total of 4 mRNA) would be unusual enough that there simply isn't data, and likely won't be.

What I would try to do is go to a health care provider with your current CDC card, and documentation of your name change, and ask them to issue you a new CDC card while surrendering the old one. This is the sort of thing that might formally not be allowed, but it's a small enough bend in the rules that I suspect a sympathetic provider would do it.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:21 PM on August 1, 2021 [5 favorites]


What I would try to do is go to a health care provider with your current CDC card, and documentation of your name change, and ask them to issue you a new CDC card while surrendering the old one.

That's a good answer imho.

As a comparison, not too long ago (just pre-COVID), I went to a travel medicine doctor for a pre-travel visit. I had my vaccination card for yellow fever with me ("yellow card/carte jaune") that had been issued by a different provider. She told me "oh, it's all beat up--let's get you a fresh one". They got one out of the supply closet, transferred the info to it, put their rubber stamp and signature on it....all good. They were happy to certify that I had a vaccination record, even though the jab wasn't done in their office.
posted by gimonca at 2:06 PM on August 1, 2021 [8 favorites]


This would be the same as any other vaccine. I would just ask your doctor what you should do. Likely they will just issue you a new one. I know for MMR and other vaccines they run a PCR to see if you have antibodies before issuing you a new one if they don't know you or can't find your records. I'm guessing this is not a big deal, especially if you ask them is it easier to get a replacement or get a new vaccine (e.g., you make it clear that you aren't anti-vaccine).
posted by geoff. at 3:01 PM on August 1, 2021 [1 favorite]


I'm someone who had a court ordered name change in the USA.

Two things that come to mind for me:

1. if you still have an old, expired ID with the old name on it, that might satisfy people who ave questions.

2. Alternatively, you could take a picture of the court ordered name change document, with the seal, and keep that on your phone. If you want to carry around the actual document with you, that'd also work, but I'd be nervous about it becoming damaged. If you go this route, see if you can get extras from the courthouse; all sorts of random places will need it in order to change your name on their systems.

3. Maybe, go to a Notary Public with all of your documentation, and have them notarize a document saying that "The vaccine cards are under Name A, the ID is under Name B, they are both for the same person."? I don't know if that's possible, but may be worth a shot.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:59 PM on August 2, 2021


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