How to digitize a COVID-19 vaccine card

3 years ago 304

A lost vaccine card can be a headache for recently inoculated people. Creating a digital backup and saving it as a PDF could be a worthwhile move. Here's how to do it.

In recent weeks, millions of people have lined up for their COVID-19 vaccinations. After the jab, people receive their COVID-19 vaccine cards for their health records. In the months ahead, some employers could request proof of vaccination as workers return to the office and creating a digital backup might be a worthwhile move for people prone to misplacing items. On Monday, Adobe released a post highlighting its Adobe Scan app as a way to digitize a vaccine card and save the file as a PDF.

In this article, we will explain how to make a digital copy of a vaccine card for safekeeping using the Adobe Scan app, Apple's Notes and more.

"As the U.S. vaccine rollout continues and COVID-19 guidelines evolve, it's smart to save a digital copy of your vaccine card that can be accessed from anywhere, and on any device," said Todd Gerber, VP Adobe Document Cloud.

SEE: COVID vaccination policy (TechRepublic Premium)

Digital vaccine card: PDF option

The Adobe Scan app is available on the App Store and Google Play. To get things started, those without an existing account will first need to create a user account and this only takes a few moments. The app includes options to capture images of whiteboards, forms, documents and business cards. Use the document or form setting to digitize a vaccine card.

Next, position the vaccine card on a flat surface and position the phone directly above the vaccine card. It's important to note that it will take a few seconds for the app to recognize the vaccine card before it captures the image.

After the image is captured, you can rename the file and also adjust the photo layout. The app has tools to crop, rotate and resize the image. There are also features to adjust the color and paint a border around the card.

Once all of the preferred edits have been made, a button in the top right corner will save the photo as a PDF. People can also save the image as a JPEG file and share a copy of the image or a link from the app. For added security, it's also possible to add a password to protect this PDF.

"With Adobe Scan, users can quickly and conveniently turn any important physical document – like a vaccine card – into an accessible digital file and save copies to Adobe Document Cloud for safe keeping," Gerber said.

Digital vaccine card via Apple Notes

Rather than downloading a new dedicated app for a very specific purpose, iPhone users can also use their existing Notes app to digitize vaccine cards. To do so, open the Notes app. Next, click the button to create a new note and select the camera from the list of icons at the bottom of the screen.

The app will ask you whether you'd like to scan a document, take a photo or video, or use a photo from your image library. Select the "scan document" option. Next, place the vaccine card on a flat surface and position the level phone directly above the vaccine card. It could take a few seconds for the camera to recognize and capture the image.

SEE: Wellness at work: How to support your team's mental health (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Once the image is captured you are able to crop, rotate and adjust the color as desired. After all of the edits have been made, save the image and this will store the image in Notes. The image can then be accessed and shared via standard methods (text, Airdrop, email and other paired apps).

For a fast and simple approach to digitization, those so inclined could also choose to use their camera app to snap a photo of the vaccine card for safekeeping. The image can then be stored on the device itself or saved on secondary devices and platforms as desired.

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