California Unveils Its Digital Vaccination Record

California has unveiled a statewide digital vaccine record three days after the state reopened its economy.

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While California has given individuals free reign on whether or not they want to wear their masks, businesses are still allowed to impose regulations such as requiring proof of a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination to enter their establishment without a mask.

The digital card is an alternative to the paper vaccination card. And signing up for it is voluntary.

Here's how it works: People can go to the state's website and enter their full name, date of birth and a cell phone number or email address, and create a four-digit pin used to access the record. The state will send a link to the digital record that will last 24 hours. It's a scannable QR code that shows what brand vaccine was given, and the dates of each dose.

Los Angeles County already partnered with Healthvana, a healthcare startup that repurposed its HIV results platform into a COVID-19 vaccination platform, where people can access a digital copy of their vaccination and put it in their Apple Wallet for easy access.

Shira Shafir, a UCLA associate professor of epidemiology said that the state's vaccination is more accessible and could encourage wider use because it doesn't require access to high speed internet or a smart phone.

"We know a lot of people in California don't have access to either of those things," she said.

Governor Gavin Newsom stressed earlier this week the system would not be a passport.

A program in Santa Ana, California to create voluntary digital vaccination records sparked protests in May.