If you have a collection of conference badges from the Before Times, it’s time to dig them out. Like a video game where an item from the first level suddenly comes in handy in the final dungeon, it turns out that the card you’re typically given with a COVID vaccine is the perfect size to fit in a standard badge holder.
We’ve previously suggested laminating your vaccine card (Staples and Office Depot will both do it for free) but that’s no help in-between your first and second dose. Some people are also reluctant to laminate their card in case they’ll have to add a booster dose later. But if you use a badge holder, you can slip it in and out as needed.
Why a badge holder? The vaccine cards are 4 inches wide by 3 inches tall, and that happens to be one of the standard sizes for conference badges. If you don’t have one, you can get a pack of clear holders in that size, with or without a lanyard, at office supply stores or online. In fact, if you search “vaccine card protector” on an online store like Amazon, you’ll turn up tons of repurposed badge holders.
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Before you buy, measure your card to be sure: 4″x3″ is a typical size, but there’s nothing stopping a clinic from printing out cards in whatever size is convenient for them. Conference badge holders also vary in size, so this isn’t a universal match. Just a serendipitously common one.