More than six weeks after I initially tried to get my California digital vaccine record, I finally received it.
When I originally tried to get my record the day the digital system was rolled out, on June 18, my record could not be found — it seemed that my contact information was not associated with my record.
This is not uncommon — a couple of weeks ago, the state told me that 40,000 records were still “in process” like mine was at the time. That means that 40,000 other people had filled out the state’s troubleshooting form, which involved entering detailed information about when and where you got your vaccine as well as uploading a picture of your vaccine card and your ID.
Officials have not yet gotten back to me with updated numbers.
From there, the state had a team of people who would go through and contact your vaccine provider to get the records corrected. That could be as simple as fixing a typo or adding contact information where there previously was none.
On Monday night, six weeks after submitting my troubleshooting form, I got a text from the California Department of Public Health saying that my digital COVID-19 record review was still in process, and to look out for an update soon.
Tuesday night, I got another text from the state, saying that they processed my vaccination record review, and that I should try again to get my record. I went back to the vaccine record website and entered my information — my name, date of birth and phone number — into the original form.
I got a text right away with the link to my record. I clicked on it, entered the PIN I had chosen and got my record, just as easily as it had worked for my mom and roommates the first time around. All the information on the record was correct.
I have an iPhone, so I took a screenshot of the record and saved it to my favorites folder in my camera roll for easy access. San Francisco plans to mandate proof of vaccination for many indoor businesses, so I want to have my record readily available.
You can also save your QR code screenshot to a hidden or locked folder on your phone if you want to keep it private. The QR code works only with the SMART Health Verifier app, which confirms that your record is legitimate — when anyone scans it, they’ll be able to see your name, when and where you got your vaccine, and your date of birth if they click on it.
Now, I’ll keep my paper card safe at home — I was constantly worried I’d lose it when I was carrying it around — and use the digital record as proof of vaccination when I need it.
Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. (c)2021 San Francisco Chronicle. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
