When a person in the United States gets the COVID- 19 vaccine (疫苗),the person receives a small piece of paper called a "COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card"
It is a piece of paper with the logo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, and the name and date of the vaccine. Because it is so simple, it could be easy to fake.
Many people in the U.S. are still unsure about getting the vaccine .As universities, workplaces and other places are requiring proof of vaccination, some people are now buying fake vaccination cards without getting a shot.
The Associated Press reports that students and teachers at universities around the U.S. are worried about fake cards. Sellers are using social media apps like Instagram to advertise fake vaccination cards. The prices range from $25 to $200. The AP notes that many college students seem interested in buying the cards. On the site Reddit, one person wrote, "I need one, too, for college. I refuse to be a guinea pig."
It is reported that more than 700 universities and colleges require proof of vaccination. Most schools simply ask their students to take a photo of their card and send it to a school website. Benjamin Mason Meier is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC. He studies international health policy. He said, unlike some countries, the U.S. is not using a digital system to record vaccine status. He said the U.S. is depending on "a flimsy paper card", and students have told him they knew of others who had used fake vaccination cards. Rebecca Williams also works at UNC. She is a researcher at the school's Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. She said she was not surprised that people were worried about fake vaccination cards. "This is why I think the development of a reliable national digital vaccine passport app is very important" she said.
There is a law that should prevent people from making false vaccination cards. If someone uses the CDC logo without permission, they can be lined and punished by up to five years in prison. The U.S. Department of Justice recently charged a person in California with making fake vaccination cards.
College students who already have the vaccine are criticizing those who would rather spend money to buy a fake than get a free shot. Maliha Reza is an electrical engineering student at Pennsylvania State University, She called those students "dumb". "I' m angry about that," she said. "Like, there is more anger than I could describe now."