Virginians have a new digital option for proving that they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Virginia Department of Health has added barcodes that can be scanned with smartphones known as QR codes to state COVID-19 vaccination records, officials announced Thursday. People will be able to prove they’ve been vaccinated by showing a digital or printed QR code instead of a paper card, and they won’t need a special app.
As more employers and businesses require employees and customers to be vaccinated, officials said this will boost the consistency and security of vaccination information while protecting individual privacy.
Anyone vaccinated in Virginia can visit the department's Vaccinate Virginia website to obtain their free vaccination record with QR code, which can then be saved to a phone gallery or printed out.
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The codes contain the same information as paper records, but the format offers more security and the information is only available if a person chooses to share it, officials said. Because they are digitally signed by the Department of Health, officials said they can’t be altered or forged.
Businesses and employers can use a free app to scan the codes.
