Here is why you should not share COVID-19 vaccine certificate on social media

The government has issued an advisory against posting vaccination certificates online.

The government has advised against posting the coronavirus vaccination certificate on social media as it carries important personal information that can be misused.

The certificate carries the name, age, gender as well as vaccination details—the name of vaccine name, dates of first and well as the second dose.

"Beware of sharing #vaccination certificate on social media," the government said. "COVID-19 vaccination certificate contains your name and other personal details. Avoid sharing your vaccination certificate on social media platforms as it may be misused cyber fraudsters to defraud you," the post read.

The ministry of home affairs posted the warning on its cyber-safety and cybersecurity awareness Twitter handle Cyber Dost. COVID-19 vaccination certificate can be downloaded both from CoWIN portal as well as from the Aarogya Setu app.

Scientists, doctors and even politicians have been encouraging people to get the COVID-19 jab. On May 1, the government opened vaccination for all above 18 years of age in the third phase of the nationwide vaccination drive, though a shortage has forced several states to put off vaccination for 18-45 age group.

Beware of sharing #vaccination certificate on social media: pic.twitter.com/Tt9vJZj2YK

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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— Cyber Dost (@Cyberdost) May 25, 2021

The vaccination certificate is expected to gain more importance in the coming days as several countries are working on systems that will require travel to provide proof of being vaccinated.

India has no such requirement for domestic or international travel but public health experts believe vaccination certificates can boost tourism not only in India but across the world.

India has cleared three vaccines—Covishield, developed by the Serum Institute of India for Oxford-AstraZaneca, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Russia's Sputnik V—for emergency use.