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Vaccine cards eyed by businesses as COVID-19 restrictions tighten

The little white cards that prove you received the vaccine might soon serve a bigger purpose.

TOLEDO, Ohio — As COVID-19 transmission rates are on the rise, businesses are starting to look at using vaccination cards (the little white piece of paper you received after getting the shot) to determine if people are fit for entry. Even for vaccinated people, the idea is controversial.

"I'm against it, I'm not sure how you would mandate that. Just a little issue you got to keep track of. How do you- do you turn people away and make them leave?" asked Joe Eyre, a father of three.

However, Cheryl Mecek feels differently, seeing the cards as an opportunity
"I am autoimmune suppressed so it would allow me to go to more places and feel safe," Mecek stated.

But the possibility of using these cards opens various questions, like what happens if you lose your card?

"[Records of people's vaccine status are] in a state system wherever they were vaccinated. They can get a new card by going to the provider that gave them the vaccine in the first place," said Pat Snyder, a media representative for the Wood County Health Department.

While the recovery system might be relatively simple, some people might consider not putting in the effort and turning to illegal means.

"The internet and social media have counterfeit cards," explains Dick Eppstein of Toledo's Better Business Bureau.

Eppstein explains that since the advent of the vaccine cards, fake CDC cards have been appearing online. While to some this might sound like an easy way to avoid getting vaccinated, it could lead to serious repercussions down the road.

"There will be some prosecutions- there will be some people that will be arrested for this- but I'm not hearing of any system being set up yet to catch any violators of this," Eppstein stated.

While counterfeit cards, and the use of real cards for that matter, is still in their infancy, just how much they are going to be used will be determined in the coming months.

"It's really hard to say- it's going to vary across the country and across the area," said Snyder.

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