Massachusetts has released a new tool to give residents a new way to access their COVID-19 digital vaccine card and vaccination history.
In a press release, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker announced the new tool – dubbed My Vax Records – which will contain similar vaccination information to a paper Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) card. The COVID-19 digital vaccine cards produced by the system utilize the SMART Health Card platform and generate a QR code that can be used to verify vaccination. While the governor’s office is not requiring residents to show proof of vaccination to enter any venue, the tool will help residents who would like to access and produce a digital copy of their record.
After accessing the new tool at MyVaxRecords.Mass.Gov, residents enter their name, date of birth, and mobile phone number or email associated with their vaccine record. After creating a 4-digit PIN, the user receives a link to their vaccine record that will open upon re-entry of the PIN.
In addition to showing the same information as the paper CDC vaccine card, the new tool also includes a QR code that makes these same details readable by a QR scanner, including smartphone apps. Once the SMART Health Card is received, users are able to save the QR code to their phone, such as in the Apple Wallet, screenshot the information and save it to their phone’s photos, or print out a copy for a paper record. Gov. Baker’s office said the system follows national standards for security and privacy.
The state confirmed it has worked on the project with VCI, a voluntary coalition of public and private organizations which developed the open-source SMART Health Card Framework in use by other states. In a press release, the governor’s office said the VCI coalition is “dedicated to improving privacy and security of patient information, making medical records portable and reducing healthcare fraud.”
