As the once novel coronavirus ebbs and flows from our collective society, the COVID-19 vaccine, once hailed as the end to catastrophe, has become a national point of contention. Companies and schools now must weigh the ethical considerations of vaccine mandates. However, those unwilling to be ostracized for their believed freedom of choice have decided to take a different route — fake vaccine cards. This growing practice now poses an administrative nightmare for universities hoping to keep their students safe from themselves.
When the first U.S. COVID vaccine doses were administered in New York almost 10 months ago, the desire to get the shot was so vastly overwhelming that it seemed unchallengeable. Lines of willing patients would stretch down the street outside clinics, all hoping for a return to normalcy. Lost in all this rush was the thought that some may consider the vaccine a step too far. Now, as the percentage of at least partially vaccinated Americans pushes past 65, the climb has slowed. The idea of a mandated vaccine has become more and more despised, mostly among the right-wing politically aligned.
According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the rate of vaccine doses administered is 13% higher in blue counties from the 2020 election than in red ones, and the divide is growing, with blue counties gaining another 2% lead since July.
In spite of this, major organizations aren’t waiting around for the stubborn to make up their minds, and have begun mandating their members to show proof of vaccination. Large companies like Facebook and Amtrak aren’t allowing workers to come in unless fully vaccinated, along with major universities like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. So if you’re a dedicated worker or student who is equally dedicated to opposing modern medicine, what is there to do?
Easy — fake the vaccine.
Any organization that asks for proof of vaccine will usually be satisfied by showing a vaccine card. The small slip of cardstock with your name, date of vaccination and a CDC seal is simple enough to carry around and simpler to fake. In some not-so-dark corners of the internet, anyone can shell out upwards of $200 for one fake vaccine card, as opposed to getting one actual free vaccine. The main problem with this choice is that fake vaccines have been shown to provide only anywhere from a 0% to a 0.0% degree of protection against COVID-19.
It can be easy to think that having a fake vaccine card is a win-win for everybody, the owner gets their freedom and organizations get their paperwork. However, it’s not that simple. On top of the fact that not being vaccinated makes you a major health risk to the life and wellbeing of everyone around you, the forging and possession of a forged vaccine card is a crime to begin with.
“Because the CDC is a federal government agency, replicating the CDC’s logo for the purpose of making or showing a fraudulent vaccine card can violate federal law,” said Attorney Erin Jackson in an interview with Healthline.com. “Because it jeopardizes public health and is likely also being used to defraud someone else, it can also violate state criminal laws and municipal codes… The bottom line is that the consequences can be considerable.”
These risks are more than just warnings. As states begin rolling out vaccine card verification systems, the hammer is beginning to drop on anti-vaxxers across the country. So far, University Hospital in Newark has already chosen to fire an undisclosed number of employees after close examination of their vaccination cards, and fines nearing $16,000 have been doled out to U.S. citizens attempting to break international travel mandates in Canada with fake cards. The Department of Justice has already made a public statement saying that the forging of faked documents such as vaccine cards is liable to “up to five years in prison or a $5,000 fine.”
As with every major university, the continued story of COVID-19 at West Chester University has brought all of these details into the limelight. WCU has done more than its fair share of trying to entice students to get vaccinated through a combination of scholarship contests for vaccinated students, and strict testing requirements for everyone else. Students who have yet to upload their vaccination cards to the university are liable to random testing — testing that, for those in university housing, comes with the consequence of eviction.
West Chester University currently has no definite way of preventing the spread of fake vaccine cards, but they will soon. Most major tech companies including Google, Apple and Samsung have programs in the works that will verify vaccine information and convert it into a digital QR code. This would mean that vaccinated individuals could simply pull up their proof of vaccination on their phones as opposed to more fragile slips of paper. Depending on the relationship between these programs and the CDC, this could spell doom for those looking to maintain their falsified vaccine status. Apple claims that their program will be in use as soon as this Fall, upon introduction of iOS 15 to its systems.
The decision to not get vaccinated is undoubtedly one of high risk and bold public standing. However, the decision to fake your vaccine is unquestionably criminal. Soon, in West Chester and beyond, those hiding behind these fake cards will have nowhere to hide, and the consequences could be dire.
Matthew Shimkonis is a third-year History Major. MS925373@wcupa.edu