Safeguard this card as it has personal information on it, but also can be used if you are in a situation that requires you to show proof of vaccination.

What to do if you lose your vaccination card

The process for requesting COVID-19 vaccine confirmation is the same as for any vaccine.  

1. First contact the provider that administered your vaccine and ask for a replacement. The provider will have record of your vaccination and be able to quickly provide a new one.
2. Personal or family immunization records can be accessed digitally through the Docket mobile phone app.  Through the Docket app you can review past immunization reports, track upcoming shots, and share official immunization reports.
   • To get started, download the free app by searching “Docket” on the App Store or on Google Play.   Or, go directly through Docket. 
3. Contact your local health department and ask them to print an Official USIIS Personal Utah Immunization Record for you. All Utah local health departments use or are connected to Utah Statewide Immunization Information System (USIIS).
4. You can request your own or children’s immunization record by submitting the USIIS Immunization Record Request form. This form must be filled out completely and notarized. You can submit your form using the information below:
   • Mail: Immunization / USIIS Program
     P O Box 142012
     Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2012
   • Email: immunize@utah.gov
   • Fax: (801) 538-9440
     Immunization Record Release

It’s still unclear whether individuals will be required to carry their vaccination cards with them. Governor Cox has said vaccination passports will not be required on state college campuses or for entering state buildings. He said it would be left up to private businesses whether to require proof of vaccination or not.

Get more information on the COVID-19 vaccine on our vaccine information page.

Information for this post was taken from the state’s immunization website, more information on requesting proof of vaccination can be found at immunize.utah.gov.

Two weeks ago, the New York Yankees made the news when several fully vaccinated people in their organization tested positive for COVID-19. Here in Utah, we’ve also had a small number of confirmed cases of fully vaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19.
 
A small number of people who are vaccinated will still test positive for COVID-19. These are called “breakthrough cases.” This is to be expected. No vaccine is 100% effective but it’s important to keep in mind that the vast majority of “breakthrough cases” don’t have any symptoms of COVID-19 or very mild symptoms. This means the vaccines are still a success and are doing their job at keeping people from getting seriously ill. The polio vaccine is another example of a vaccine that doesn’t completely stop the polio virus from growing in our bodies but is extremely effective at preventing the disease.

CDC is working with state and local health departments to investigate COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases. They’ll watch for patterns, trends, underlying health conditions, and more to better understand breakthrough cases.

If I can get COVID-19 anyway, why get the vaccine?

The COVID-19 vaccine is extraordinarily effective at preventing serious illness in people who get sick with COVID-19. From the Yankees example above, all but one of the people were asymptomatic, which means they didn’t have any symptoms, and the other person was only mildly ill. A growing body of evidence suggests that people who are fully vaccinated are less likely to have asymptomatic infection or transmit COVID-19 to others.

Looking back to January 1, about the time when we started opening vaccinations to broader segments of the public:

• There have been 126,697 total COVID-19 cases identified in Utah. 99.3% (n=125,865) of them have been unvaccinated people.
• There have been 5,349 people hospitalized. 98.3% (n=5,256) of them were unvaccinated.
• And there have been 758 deaths. 99.6% (n=755) of them were unvaccinated.

What can be done to prevent breakthrough cases?

The most important thing you can do is get BOTH doses of your vaccine (for Pfizer and Moderna) and take precautions, like wearing a mask around other people, until you’re fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated means it’s been 2 weeks since your final dose. For Pfizer and Moderna, that’s 2 weeks after your 2nd dose. For Johnson & Johnson, it’s 2 weeks after your first and only dose.

It’s possible for a person to get sick with COVID-19 if they’re infected just before or just after being vaccinated because their body hasn’t had time to build full protection from the virus yet. With variants still spreading across the globe, it’s more important than ever to get vaccinated. Research shows the vaccines are effective against the variants identified so far.

Get the facts from your Doctor

We’ve been on the road throughout the state asking your local family doctors, pediatricians, nurses, pharmacists, and even some of your neighbors about the COVID-19 vaccine. We’ve created a series of brief videos of their advice and their answers to common questions. None of their answers are scripted; these are genuine, honest conversations. Hear for yourself what they have to say, or share with a friend or family member who has similar questions.

The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) is encouraged by today’s news that the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age.

As is the case with all vaccines, the UDOH recommends providers wait for final guidance from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) prior to administering COVID-19 vaccine to anyone ages 12-15 years. 

ACIP is currently scheduled to meet this Wednesday, May 12, and is expected to issue its recommendation during the meeting.  Individual providers will determine how quickly they can begin administering vaccine following ACIP’s guidance.

“There are approximately 215,000 Utah children in this age group and expanding vaccine access to them will push us even closer to the finish line in our battle against COVID-19,” said Dr. Michelle Hofmann, deputy director of the UDOH. “Data presented by Pfizer indicate its vaccine is highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in this age group. In fact, none of the clinical trial participants who received the vaccine ever became infected with COVID-19.”

To find a vaccination site and learn about Utah vaccine eligibility, visit our vaccine distribution webpage.

View the full new executive order here

This action follows a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Effective immediately, COVID-19 vaccine providers in Utah may resume administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to anyone 18 years of age or older. The Committee voted 10-4 in favor of the action following lengthy discussions weighing the benefits of getting as many people vaccinated as possible against the risks of very rare reactions. Out of more than 8 million people who had been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 15 people, all females, experienced a rare blood clotting condition, and three died.

• Johnson & Johnson and regulators plan to add language to the product label warning of the potential for a rare blood-clot condition.
• For some women younger than age 50, there may be increased risks from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. These women may choose to speak with their health care provider prior to receiving the vaccine, or choose another vaccine manufacturer. They may also choose to wait to be vaccinated until after next Tuesday when CDC releases further guidance.

CDC will release official guidance next Tuesday, but you can read their full statement here.

“For many Utahns, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the best vaccine,” said Governor Spencer Cox. “A single dose gives us the best chance of vaccinating people who are hard to reach by geography, those who are hard to reach because of personal schedules, those who might be less likely to return for a second shot, and even those who don’t like needles. We are relieved that these doses will rejoin our arsenal in the fight against COVID-19.” 

Health care providers administering the vaccine and vaccine recipients or caregivers should review the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine and Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers, which have been revised to include information about the risk of this syndrome, which has occurred in a very small number of people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.

Prior to the pause, more than 86,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered in Utah. Approximately 53,000 additional unused doses remain on the shelves of vaccine providers throughout the state.

“Utah residents should be confident in the process that led to the pause, and also the process that led to the lifting of the pause,” said Dr. Michelle Hofmann, deputy director of the UDOH. “This situation is evidence that the system that ensures vaccine safety in our country works. A potential issue was identified, investigated, and addressed in a manner that allows for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to again be safely administered in our state.”

Johnson & Johnson doses will resume shipping next week, and providers may now use any doses they have on-hand. 

# # #

Did you know that immunizations prevent 2 to 3 million deaths every year from more than 20 different diseases? In June 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released guidelines to assist those interested in developing a COVID-19 vaccine in the clinical development and licensure of COVID-19 vaccines. The methodology behind vaccination safety and approval is the result of years of refinement of the testing process, which relies heavily on science.

According to the Worldwide Health Organization (WHO), once a vaccine has been selected, it undergoes rigorous laboratory testing to ensure its safety and efficacy. This testing falls under the responsibility of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). In June 2020, the FDA released guidelines to help companies and researchers in developing a COVID-19 vaccine. After a vaccine meets all of the proper requirements, it is then ready for clinical trials.

But what happens when the world finds itself in the midst of a pandemic such as COVID-19? In emergency situations, the FDA may choose to utilize Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) authority in order to provide more timely access to drugs, medical tests, or other critical medical products that may help during the emergency. The EUA process is different from full approval of these products, because in some emergency situations there is a more urgent need, and there may not be time for full FDA approval. This does not mean the vaccine isn’t safe or that shortcuts were taken during the clinical trials. If the available evidence shows the benefits of these products outweigh the risks, the FDA will give approval for them to be used during the emergency under an EUA. EUAs have been issued in the past, such as in 2009 during the H1N1 pandemic, when EUAs made possible the distribution of medications not specifically designed to treat H1N1 but which showed promising benefits for people suffering from this illness, while a vaccine for H1N1 was still being developed.

We have the gold standard of safety and effectiveness for all medical products. The FDA, along with all of our sponsors have top of mind the safety of all vaccines. We will not cut corners in terms of our assessment of FDA, of that gold standard of safety and effectiveness.

Dr.Stephen M. Hahn, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the FDA approval process for COVID-19 vaccinations.

EUAs allow the FDA to provide important medical tools quicker than it normally would to healthcare providers and the public. EUAs have been authorized throughout the pandemic for different kinds of COVID-19 tests, including PCR, antigen, and antibody tests. This same process is being used for COVID-19 vaccines.

It is important to understand any side effects the vaccine may have. During clinical trials, great care is taken by scientists to document any side effects, even if they are mild. Before a vaccine can receive approval and be distributed, this information is put into a document called a Vaccine Information Statement (VIS). This statement is legally required to be given to you before you get a vaccine so you can make an informed choice about receiving a vaccination. The VIS includes information on potential side effects of the vaccine which participants in the clinical trials reported. In the case of a COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA will require two months of safety information following a final dose of a vaccine before authorizing an EUA; generally, the time required by the FDA for vaccine development during times of non-emergency is considerably longer.

After the vaccine is distributed, scientists will continue to monitor the COVID-19 vaccine. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a national vaccine safety surveillance program co-sponsored by the FDA and the CDC, collects and analyzes information from reports of potential, rare side effects that occur after the administration of approved vaccines.

There are currently more than 100 COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development. Pfizer and Moderna began limited distribution of their COVID-19 vaccines in December. These first vaccine doses are limited to frontline healthcare workers who are treating COVID-19 patients. 

Until everyone has access to a vaccine, we must continue to wear masks, physical distance, wash our hands frequently, and stay home when we have symptoms of COVID-19 in order to further prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Sources:

• https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/basics/test-approve.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGkwaESsGBQ&feature=emb_logo
• https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/development-approval-process-cber/vaccine-product-approval-process
• https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines?
• https://www.who.int/immunization/programmes_systems/policies_strategies/vaccine_intro_resources/nvi_guidelines/en/
• https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/vaccines-and-immunization-vaccine-safety
• https://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/eua/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2998968/
• https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization
• https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pfizer-won-t-apply-covid-vaccine-eua-until-2nd-half-n1243710
• https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2031373