What to Know About California’s Digital Vaccine Cards

Good morning.

Don’t, state officials have said, call it a vaccine passport.

Residents won’t be required to carry the digital vaccination record that the state introduced last week. Businesses don’t have to ask for it. And you can still use your paper vaccine card if you want.

According to the state technology workers who created it, the digital record is simply a free tool for navigating a world in which you may be asked to show that you’ve been inoculated against Covid-19.

Millions of Californians have gotten their coronavirus vaccinations, Dr. Erica Pan, the state’s top epidemiologist, noted in a news conference Friday. “The odds are someone is going to misplace their paper vaccine card,” she said. “This is a backup.”

Still confused? Here’s what else you need to know:

How does this digital vaccine verification work?

If you’ve been vaccinated in California — not just against Covid-19, but for any disease — that inoculation should be recorded in the state’s immunization registry.

Essentially, when you plug in your name, birthday and contact information, the new system checks that information against the state’s registry. If you’re listed, you’ll be sent an email with a link to your digital Covid-19 vaccine card, which is accessible only with a PIN of your choosing.

Once you put in your PIN and access the card, it will allow you to digitally carry the same information that’s on your paper record, plus a QR code that you can screenshot and save.

You don’t need to download a separate app to get the record.

When might I need to use it?

Although businesses can largely decide whether to require patrons to show proof that they’ve been vaccinated if they want to enter without a mask, state officials said they expect that entertainment and sports venues may do so.

But Dr. Pan said that one of the most common instances in which Californians may want to quickly and officially show they’ve gotten vaccinated is when they’re traveling — particularly abroad.

“Many countries require proof of vaccination to enter,” she said.

Do other states have something similar?

New York recently introduced its Excelsior Pass, which vaccinated residents flash at Yankees and Mets games, as well as comedy clubs and a small number of bars and restaurants. But as my colleague Sharon Otterman reported earlier this month, many of those uses were expected to fall by the wayside as virus restrictions go away.

New York’s system was created by IBM, under a contract. California’s version was built by the state.

How do I know it’s secure?

Rick Klau, the state’s chief technology innovation officer, said in the Friday news conference that the state’s vaccine records had been created according to an open-source SMART Health Card framework developed by the Vaccine Credential Initiative, a coalition of public and private institutions meant to make it easier for various vaccine providers to give people access to their health records while also keeping that information safe.

For more:

Here’s what else to know today

Joni Mitchell had been living a comfortable, domestic life with Graham Nash in Laurel Canyon when she booked a single plane ticket abroad, plunging her into an intercontinental journey that would inspire much of her LP “Blue,” my colleagues wrote in a piece published over the weekend to mark the album’s 50th anniversary.

Nash told them that Mitchell broke up with him by telegram: “She said, ‘If you squeeze sand in your hand, it will run through your fingers.’ I thought, got it. And that was it.”

But — speaking from experience — you need to know little of the personal stories behind “My Old Man” or “Little Green” to feel deeply when you listen to them. (And “California?” A perfect soundtrack for returning back to the Golden State from, well, anywhere else.)

Even if you’ve never listened to the album, some of your favorite artists probably have. In the story, 25 musicians talked about its power and its influence.

California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: [email protected]. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here.

Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter.