Here’s how to use California’s new COVID vaccine verification system – Orange County Register

Vaccinated Californians have gained a new way to show that they are being vaccinated against the coronavirus without having to carry around a flimsy paper card.

Friday’s Golden State announced a new digital tool that will allow residents to access COVID-19 vaccine records from the California immunization registry. Here we track all doses administered by vaccine providers such as Kaiser, Sutter, and County.

Tools are available at myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov..

The site will ask you to enter the name, date of birth, and email or phone number associated with the vaccine record. You will need to create a 4-digit PIN that you can use later to open the link containing the vaccine information. This link will be sent by email or text message, depending on the contact information you provide. The tool also includes a QR code that you can use to take screenshots and finally display them in businesses, sports venues, etc. This allows you to scan the code to confirm that you are vaccinated. That part of the system is still working.

“It really aims to empower individuals,” Amy Ton, director of the California Institute of Technology, said in a phone call with a reporter on Friday for the new Digital Covid-19 Vaccine Record.

The tool was built by the state using open source SMART health card frameworkUsed by various public and private organizations, including, UC Health, Walmart, and more.

Like so many deployments during the coronavirus pandemic, some users experienced frustrating obstacles while checking new systems on Friday morning. Some were told that none of the information they provided matched. Others finally succeeded in the second or third attempt by making the name uppercase or lowercase. Others have found that the second dose is missing from the vaccine records.

Even if the state sets the system as a convenience rather than an obligation, glitches refuse to allow vaccinated residents to enter events and businesses if vaccination records do not properly reach the California Public Health Service. It raises concerns that it may be done. Authorities said more than 90% of the records in the system had contact information attached, but some were not, and virtual chatbots to troubleshoot issues overloaded on Friday. became. Callers to the helpline were also instructed to contact the vaccine provider for assistance.

Mark Dinan, a Silicon Valley recruiter in East Palo Alto, said he would give him some time, although he was dissatisfied with his failure to unlock his email and phone number on Friday. I did.

“Usually, when something like this is published, it always bugs. Probably within a week, I’ll try again,” Dinan said.

He wants the spread of vaccine passports. In East Palo Alto, about 65% of eligible residents are vaccinated. This is too low to feel comfortable to seize the opportunity in places where there are many unmasked dinants.

“It’s frustrating that it doesn’t work because this is the first step in getting what they can call a vaccine passport,” he said.

Barbara Ellen of Walnut Creek ran into a similar problem. She said she could not get clear guidance when she contacted the vaccinated Contra Costa County for help.

“After making several phone calls to both the state and the county, no one seems to know anything about the other person and is not willing to follow the information or give it to anyone who can,” she said. ..

Contra Costa County did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert and emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley, advocates a vaccine validation system, but believes that California tools may be a bit more user-friendly.

“I’m seeing something unfolding that hasn’t been completely considered yet,” Swartsburg said.

There is no app version of the state vaccine record, but users who can navigate the system can add code to existing apps such as CLEAR’s HealthPass, which some air passengers use to quickly pass airport security. ..