Less than 10% of fully vaccinated people in Massachusetts successfully downloaded their vaccine records from the state's new system as of Wednesday.
The My Vax Records tool was launched Monday. It lets people see their vaccination history and pull up a card -- downloaded by a QR code -- that's similar to the paper CDC cards that have been given out when people are vaccinated.
As of Wednesday afternoon, about 370,000 digital vaccine card codes were successfully downloaded from the system, the Baker Administration told NBC10 Boston.
There were 5,137,794 people fully vaccinated in Massachusetts as of Wednesday. Assuming that each code was downloaded by a different person, that means that 7.2% of all fully vaccinated people had downloaded their digital vaccine record.
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The My Vax Records cards aren't being mandated for download by the state, they're simply being provided to help residents who want to show their vaccination history, officials have said.
The tool was unveiled days before Boston begins requiring vaccinations for some indoor spaces, like restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues. Brookline indicated this week that it would follow suit.
Boston officials have indicated that, as part of their B Together campaign, they'll be creating their own COVID vaccine verification app, which a city website says "will be designed for one purpose only: to make it easy for you to show an image of your proof of vaccination on your phone."
Users of the My Vax Records website can enter their information and can expect to get a response within a day, administration officials say. When it's ready, they'll get a text message with a link to their record and a smart health card, with a QR code that can be saved to apps like the Apple Wallet or by taking a screenshot.
The vaccine card sent by the state shows the user's name, birth date and the vaccination dates doses they received.
The system is run by the SMART Health Card open-source platform off of data provided in the Massachusetts Immunization Information System. Among the states already using the system are New York and Rhode Island. Connecticut launched its own program last month.
For those looking into how to add the card to their phone's records, the Department of Public Health offers a frequently asked questions page that also touches on whether the record can be stored in other ways (yes, including printing) and whether additional COVID vaccine doses received after downloading the record will be automatically included in the scans (no, you'll have to request an updated card).
Officials noted that some people may not be able to find their records, in part or in whole, right away. That could be because their vaccine record isn't associated with their phone or email. They can contact their health care provider or the Massachusetts Immunization Information System to update the records.
