Now that venues, events, and workplaces are opening up again, a number of organisations have been asking people for proof of vaccination against COVID. And while they should be asking for the NHS COVID pass, many have been checking the NHS vaccine cards that are given to individuals upon inoculation.
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NHS vaccine card
After an individual receives their first jab, they’re provided with a NHS vaccine card that is manually filled up with the date of vaccination, the brand of vaccine that has been administered and the batch number. The card is filled up once again after the second dose.
The NHS has stated that this vaccine card is not meant to be used as proof of vaccination since they are done manually. They wrote on the Park Medical Practice website:
These cards are not proof of a vaccination – quite simply anyone could amend the written details if they wished – and do not contain secure, personal information.
These cards were created by Public Health England simply as a reminder that patients need two doses of the COVID-19 vaccination.
Instead the NHS COVID pass has been designed to act as a vaccine passport. Unfortunately the confusion between the two has led to people misusing the NHS vaccination card as proof of vaccination.
Fake cards used by unvaccinated
Now, several adverts selling blank NHS vaccine cards have been popping up on eBay and there is a growing concern that unvaccinated folks will start using them to access events, venues, and workplaces that are only open to double-jabbed individuals.
Currently, there are blank cards starting at prices from £6 to £26 on the website. According to Mirror, eBay has been proactively deleting the listings, however more and more are getting posted on a daily basis. One of the listings went as far as to say:
All orders will be sent, even when eBay/Gov remove advert.
