Understanding the Dates on Your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card

While the availability of COVID-19 vaccine remains limited, the Fairfax County Health Department is providing a number of residents with their second shot. Unlike the flu vaccine, the COVID-19 vaccine does require two doses in order for someone to be fully vaccinated. There are some important things to know about getting the second dose.

The Health Department is currently administering the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which should be given three and four weeks apart, respectively.

When people receive their vaccine at the Health Department, they are given a COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, which is just a bit larger than a standard business card. The nurse who gives the shot fills this card out for you. The front side of the card will include your name, date of birth, the manufacturer and lot number of vaccine provided, the date the vaccine was given, and the location.

Once the nurse has filled out the first side of the card, she or he will flip the card over and write down the date when you are eligible for your second dose. Depending on the vaccine, this date will be either three weeks or four weeks later. The date on the back of your vaccination record card is NOT an appointment date. Rather, it is the date when you are eligible to receive your second dose.

That date on the back of your card is the earliest recommended date to receive your second dose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, second doses administered within a grace period of four days earlier than the recommended date for the second dose are still considered valid. The second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible. However, if it is not feasible to adhere to the recommended interval and a delay in vaccination is unavoidable, the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be administered up to six weeks (42 days) after the first dose.

If you receive vaccine at the Health Department, you will be contacted four to seven days before the date on the back side of your card to schedule your second dose. Since all vaccine is administered by appointment only, it is important that you wait for the invitation to schedule. Do not show up at the vaccination site without a scheduled appointment. It is possible that you may be invited to get your second dose at a different location where you received your first dose.

Be sure to bring your vaccination card with you to your second appointment. The nurse will review it, then write in the manufacturer and lot number along with the date when you receive your second dose. Hold on to your card or take a picture of it. This is your documentation that you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19. Your medical health care provider may request to see it to update your medical health records.

Thank you for your patience as we are vaccinating people as fast as we can. If you need help or have a general question about COVID-19, call the COVID-19 information line at 703-267-3511. If you have questions about COVID-19 vaccine, please call the COVID-19 vaccine hotline at 703-324-7404.

Stay Informed

Call our Health Department Call Center at 703-267-3511 with Coronavirus questions; open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
Text FFXCOVID to 888777 to receive updates from Fairfax County about COVID-19; text FFXCOVIDESP to 888777 for updates in Spanish.
Email questions or concerns to ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov. This email account will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. through 6 p.m.
Visit a web portal for coronavirus that serves as a one-stop online resource for information.
Learn more about COVID-19 on the Health Department Coronavirus (COVID-19) Webpage or FAQ page.
Follow the Fairfax County Government Facebook Page and Health Department Facebook Page.
Follow @fairfaxcounty and @fairfaxhealth on Twitter.