Cathay1101

We're moving back to the UK from Slovakia and whilst in the US over the summer have had our second Pfizer shots. (We had our first in Slovakia). The only evidence we have of this is our CDC cards.

I've contacted our local GP (who - go figure - we were still registered with for some reason...!) and they've told us that they won't accept it as proof of vaccination and that it won't be valid as an NHS COVID Pass/to avoid quarantine etc...

I find this hard to believe. Surely, particularly with vaccinated US residents now being eligible for quarantine-free travel, there is going to need to be some verification process which acknowledges the authenticity of CDC cards?

Has anyone had any experience using CDC cards in the UK and, even better, successfully migrating the vaccination records onto the NHS database to use as a COVID pass?

Many thanks

jerry a. laska

The question has been posed in several threads (in particular, see this thread) without a firm answer I believe. See these posts and the discussion occurring in the thread before and after:
Local lockdowns in the UK
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33390281-post6323.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33390367-post9212.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33450730-post9907.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33450919-post9913.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33451145-post9915.html

KARFA

Unless you are a US resident then it is correct that you are not eligible to avoid self isolation on arrival in the UK from an amber country regardless of whether you get your vaccines noted on your GP record. You need to both have the full course in the US and be a US resident.

Cathay1101

Thanks both - was struggling to find things on the other thread.

To me at least, this is beyond absurd - there’s no way I’m going to grab a third jab for the sake of bureaucracy. I can clearly show the entry stamp that I was in the US and even the appointment confirmation for the CVS where I got done.

what a ….show!

garykung

Not really. In FT terms, what you are trying to do has no difference as trying to book SQ by using Asia Miles.

Cathay1101

This went straight over my head I'm afraid. My point is merely that the logic doesn't stack up - what should matter is that you've had two jabs via the recognised overseas vaccination programmes and have evidence to prove that. I'll happily confess that a counterfeit CDC card probably isn't difficult to come by, but if you've got a first UK dose written on it (and the corresponding details on the NHS app), plus an appointment confirmation for your second jab, plus a stamped record of your entry to the US at a nearby airport, I'm struggling to see the need for quarantine...

The decision to discriminate by residency is arbitrary and beyond logic - are American residents somehow less likely to be carrying COVID post-vaccination than a Canadian resident, even if they've both been hanging out in the US for the month prior to their departure for LHR? Didn't think so.

reclusive46

honestly the simple answer is just to ignore the quarantine requirements. Plenty of people have been doing it throughout the whole pandemic, at least you don’t have to feel guilty about it.

Cathay1101

At this rate, I will be.

plunet

It's a tricky one... Your medical record is your data, so as a data subject (legal definition in the data protection act) you can request visibility of the information held about you, and if it is incorrect/missing/etc you can request that it is changed/corrected/etc. But the data controller which is this case the NHS and by proxy your GP surgery also has a legal duty to ensure that data kept about you is accurate. So they have to be able to satisfy themselves that any assertion from yourself about completion of a medical procedure is true.

The issue really here is that the records made available by the system in the US for successful completion of vaccination is not fit for purpose, and any other authority is going to struggle to accept a CDC card as a record of vaccination, not just the NHS. I suspect that this is going to end up causing a whole bunch of pain for those who have been vaccinated in the US.

garykung

NHS is without obligation to accept immunization record from elsewhere, especially when the vaccine is optional.

You make this way too complicated. NHS simply does not accept immunization record from elsewhere. Plain and simple.

KARFA

Quite a few people have reported having their gp adding non Uk vaccines to their record, and it then showing in the NHS app. So I don’t think that’s correct.

plunet

Correct, it's not the NHS's medical record. It's your medical record. As a data subject you have rights over all data that relates to you, medical or otherwise. You can request any data in your record to be ammended, but the data controller has to be satisfied as to the accuracy.

​​​As KARFA notes, it certainly is possible to get your immunisation and indeed other medical records updated with details of procedures done elsewhere if they can be satisfied that the information being added is accurate. After all it's beneficial to both you and the NHS to have details of emergency or elective procedures done elsewhere recorded in your record that may have a material impact on future healthcare decisions.

VSLover

i can also understand that right now the NHS has no interest in sorting these things out at the moment given we are still in the midst of a full vaccination campaign. going forward, sure they will have to sort this out, but like calling BA, depending on who you talk to YMMV.

but you should have expected it would be a mess if you decided to spread your vaccinations over multiple countries and expected everything to be recognized to make your life more convenient whenever you settled--least of all any european country where things have clearly been headed towards a system of electronic recognition, as opposed to the US where it would not have made much difference.

Cathay1101

Why? I've had multiple vaccinations in multiple countries in past and never had a problem - TB shots in Australia have been readily recognised in Hong Kong and South Korea and vice-versa. Most of my vaccination records have been reflected on my NHS record for years and are readily available on the app. I've had no issue adding foreign vaccines to my NHS record on multiple other occasions, why should I have expected there to be one now...? As someone said upthread, it's in their interests to know!

Cathay1101

This is patently false.