The Governor announced over 1,000,000 Excelsior Passes have been downloaded to date which is a remarkable number and I myself belong to that group. I like the pass as it provides a simple digital ID to help if you need proof of vaccination or a negative test which is required by some businesses and/or venues.  Whereas we can debate on end the topic of passes, suffice it to say they are not mandatory which I believe is often forgotten in the discussion.

Admittedly for me downloading the APP  was a very easy process as it has been for many but not for all.  As one who administers the vaccines and responsible for the information uploaded into the New York Immunization Information System (NYSIIS), I am very familiar with the process and as well the pitfalls.  True to form we will only hear of the pitfalls and let me share some insight on the issue.

First of all, not many people are familiar with NYSIIS, unless of course you where a parent of a child since 2008, when NYS required all children’s vaccine (18 and under) to be loaded into NYSIIS.  This is a good idea as it provided a secure location for providers to review patients vaccination history primarily to make sure children where receiving the CDC required vaccines but also to prevent over vaccination which is a concern not too many talk about.  Otherwise if an adult some providers would provide the info and some would not.  If they did provide a profile is established and vaccines are uploaded now automatically through secure electronic health records.

The challenge is how the info was established and this is where it gets tricky.  Things like full names are important (think Christopher or Chris), spelling counts (Brendan being spelled Brenda) and accurate DOB matters as well. To complicate it some more during the pandemic providers at times had different instruction. Pharmacies for example, in an effort to upload info as soon as possible, where told to enter First and Last Name, DOB and Phone Number.  Well that is great and a profile is either matched or created when that info is sent however when one downloads the APP the questions focus on zip code and county one lives in.  In many cases that info does not reside in NYSIIS and if not in NYSIIS one gets the No Record on file message.  To correct this it is a back and forth with the one who provided the immunization (we have had a few at the pharmacy) or you can follow the information here to either fix the issue or talk to a help desk support person.

If this does not work, there is always the infamous CDC card which serves the purpose.  Helpful hint I have been sharing with individuals especially if they cannot access the APP is to take a picture and store the picture on your phone.  Please do not share or post on social media as that is sharing of critical information.

Below are some other Fast Facts About Excelsior Pass that I wanted to share and of course the link to the pass can be gotten in the Apple or Google Play stores or you can go right here as well.  

  • Excelsior Pass is a free, voluntary, and secure way to retrieve proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results and users’ data is kept confidential and secure at all times.
  • At this time, Passes are only available for those who have received their COVID-19 Vaccination or PCR/Antigen tests in the State of New York.
  • An Excelsior COVID-19 Vaccination Pass, available 15 days after the final dose of the vaccine was administered, is valid for 365 days.
  • An Excelsior COVID-19 PCR Test Pass is valid until midnight on the third day after a test.
  • An Excelsior COVID-19 Antigen Test Pass is valid for 6 hours from the time of a test.
  • Each Pass contains cryptographic signatures that ensure that it is genuine and that no data-tampering has occurred.
  • Excelsior Pass is accompanied by a Help Desk with extensive resources, multi-language access, and is able to be printed for those who may not own Smartphones.
  • New Yorkers always have the option of using other forms of proof, like a CDC card or physical laboratory test results, directly at a business or venue.