COVID-19 vaccines have already rolled out in the country as a buzzer-beater moment last 2020. Still, it was only focused on providing shots for the frontliners, at-risk patients, and the elderly amid limited dosages. However, after the first month of the new year, vaccine doses have been coming in a steady supply and are now slowly reaching out to the general population members.
A Department of Health and Human Services employee holds a COVID-19 vaccine record card at Operation Warp Speed headquarters in Washington, D.C., Nov. 13, 2020. The cards will be sent out as part of vaccination kits from Operation Warp Speed.
As the first-hand line of defense for the pandemic, COVID-19 vaccines are essential in protecting the body to get to know the virus and ensure other people that the vaccinated person has a less chance of getting infected. Currently, people are issued COVID-19 vaccine cards for individuals who have already received the shots, certifying them of their records.
More people are receiving the COVID-19 vaccines and due to the excitement of telling it to others, they might share it on social media, complete with all of their personal and sensitive data which might be taken. People's excitement might get the best of them, especially on this pandemic where the public was restricted from socializing for almost a year.
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Organization Warns of Posting COVID-19 Vaccines Online or on Social Media
CARDIFF, WALES - DECEMBER 08: A staff member poses with a vial of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination health center on the first day of the largest immunisation programme in the UK's history on December 8, 2020 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. Wales joined the other UK nations in rolling out the covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday, a rare moment of coordination after months of disjointedness in the four nations' pandemic response. In October and November, Wales introduced a 17-day "firebreak" lockdown to suppress the surge in covid-19 cases, but infections have continued to rise.
According to the Better Business Bureau's blog post, people should be wary of posting their COVID-19 Vaccine Cards and the certification that they have received the shot online or on social media platforms. This is primarily because of data privacy, which different entities or individuals might steal freely online.
This form of crime is a hard clause to argue, because users have acted on their volition to showcase their personal and sensitive identity online, with different users and the public able to see the post. Moreover, the card has information including one's full name, birthday, and sometimes, their address and other sensitive details.
COVID-19 Vaccine Card Data Privacy
According to CNN, there are other ways to show one's excitement and showcase that they are already vaccinated by sharing a snap of the COVID-19 Vaccine sticker that is also an official certification for the shot. Moreover, users can also utilize the safe and vaccinated profile picture frame that is readily available and free to use on social media platforms.
Stickers may help people encourage the anti-vaxxers to join the cause and sign-up in their communities' COVID-19 vaccination drive, which would soon be available to everyone as dose stocks increase. It is expected by the government to increase in the coming months and have a widespread vaccination drive towards the end of the year.
COVID-19 Vaccine Card Counterfeits
The BBB has also warned about vaccine card counterfeits that might be used illegally and paraded by someone who has not received a vaccine shot but pose as someone who already got theirs from the clinics. This implication is another dangerous effect of posting one's vaccine card, as entities have already worked on editing these documents and sell them online.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isaiah Alonzo
