DHS Secretary Says US Looking at Vaccine Documentation

And how are they going to get this information? Some states will not take part. (Florida has already made it illegal for any business to require a vaccine passport.) That leaves it up to the individual traveler to supply information. What's the difference between that and a CDC card?

You know that even if we are required to get a printout of our vaccination records from the state in which we received them, some will start screaming...."They're fake. They've been photoshopped."

And then what....expect immigration officers from other countries to learn what each states' vaccination record looks like? Or tell people from some states "sorry, your state won't cooperate so you can't travel."

The simplest way would be to set up a website that passengers must register at prior to departure. They fill in their vaccination information, swear that everything they say is the truth under penalty of imprisonment if lying, and then possibly random checks with arriving passengers--the way TSA randomly checks people for extensive random searches. Yes, some people may slip by--just like with TSA--but it would probably deter most.

Remember, the there are only two things in life that are 100% certain--death and taxes.

It will be interesting to see if Florida's stance on vaccination will hold up. A lot of cruise ship companies are developing cruise itineraries for vaccinated travelers, only. Would cruise companies take their business to other ports?

Actually, there is no provision stating a U.S. State has to send your health records to the federal government upon your request. They have to send them to you and your healthcare provider--with your approval--but not to the federal government.

I read it and didn't see anything stating that they have to send it anywhere you want. They have to send them to you and you can do what you want with them.

The main function of that law is to guarantee YOU access to YOUR healthcare records. It also allows health care systems like hospitals, medical centers and even private practices access to state records as well as your records from other health care providers.

Let's take a non-travel example. You apply for 10 jobs all requiring proof you are vaccinated. Do you think the state is going to send copies of your vaccination record to those 10 employers? Of course not. They will send a copy to you and you can distribute it to the prospective employers.

Cruise ship companies are already thinking of moving out of Florida. It would cost Florida billions in revenue.

I think that Frank II is correct. In my state the mega-center that I received my vaccine from vaccinated 4,000 people a day for several months. There is no department that sends verifying documentation anywhere or to anyone. I was told that my CDC card was my only "document."

Lindy, I was vaccinated at a mega event as well. Everyone who was, in my state,had to fill out a form either on-site or for online ahead of time. The county health department was the sponsor, but all paperwork was submitted to the state health department with a state-assigned ID number. Three days later, I got an email from the state health department verifying I had been vaccinated. They need to track for accountability and to know who got which vaccine in case there is trouble down the road or booster shots are required.

But as you see, each state was different, and can be expected to respond differently to the question of providing travel documentation, since that was not part of the planning/funding/staffing anywhere.

Only the countries to which you want to enter, get to decide what they will accept, not CDC or DHS or your state.

Stan, I live in the northeast. I received a verifying email from the state, as well, however, so far there is no department that will send, upon my request, documentation of my covid-19 vaccination. It is one thing to have my information in some state databank and another to have a "college transcripts office" as it were. Since not everyone who had the vaccine has antibodies, I could see that other countries might just want a covid-19 test before entry. That presents problems of its own. Here's hoping for herd immunity, globally.

Hi Jules M.,
I am waiting to see how the vaccine laws work-out in Florida. Cruise ships can indeed go to other ports. Florida will lose out big time if we lose the cruise industry. I personally have no issue with cruise ships requiring proof of vaccination for boarding. But, our governor is taking a different approach. Honestly, I don’t understand all the laws about medical information and providing proof of health status, etc.. I am certain this matter can get complicated rather quickly.

So, it’s domestic travel for me and my family for a while. I am satisfied with spending my time and money here in the USA. Our economy needs it!

As suggested previously, start with your primary care doctor. If your vaccination was reported to your state health department, your doctor should be able to verify and get that added to your health record. If the vaccinations are not getting reported to your state health departments, you should be able to get your vaccine provider (e. g.,) pharmacy) to report to your doctor.

In Oregon, vaccinations from federal agencies (e.g., the VA) did not get reported to the state health department. Since there is a state wide lottery now for the fully vaccinated, the state is working on getting those records added before the cut-off date for the lottery.

I also listened to a audio piece on Deutsche Welt on how the EU "vaccine passport" or "green card" would work. I would expect the US would set up something similar. Basically the "passport" would contain the identifying info and vaccination status. That information would be digitally signed using existing encryption technology. The latter would make it extremely difficult to counterfeit. The whole enchilada can then be coded into the QR code which can be scanned from a paper copy or a smart phone. The QR code can then be easily scannen and the identification checked against the travelers ID and / or passport.

(Joking here ...). According to conspiracy theorists, didn’t Bill Gates implant microscopic tracking chips in all of the vaccines he funded? If so, we can just be scanned like our pets using veterinary technology. Who needs documentation or Covid tests!

(Oh ... it’s getting a bit late and I’m getting a bit snarky here. Sorry for that.).

These posts are necessary as we all try to navigate the “new normal” and new protocols. Unfortunately, there is no consistency at this time. All this still needs to be hashed out.

I am pretty sure that at least in the near-term, they are NOT going to go to a “vaccination required” system for allowing flight or entry,

Given what we have seen in Europe, it suggests the authorities will always offer options: you can travel/enter if you 1) are vaccinated; 2) have a recent negative PCR test; and 3) have documentary proof of recent recovery from Covid-19.