I-Team Finds Requesting Proof Of Vaccination Is Not A Foolproof Solution
BOSTON (CBS) -- Club Passim in Cambridge is packing them in for live performances. Like many businesses, they are now requiring proof of vaccination to attend a show.
Club manager Matt Smith said, "Most people that we have heard when we put this word out have been absolutely thrilled that we are requiring this."
But others who don't want to get the shot are finding a way around it.
US Customs agents say they've seized thousands of blank counterfeit vaccine cards, which can be found on the dark web.
The I-Team even found cards for sale on Ebay and Amazon selling vaccine exemption cards that look official but are not.
"Those easily can be phoneyed up," said WBZ-TV Security Analyst and former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis. "There can be forged cards and that's becoming a cottage industry on the internet right now."
The I-Team uncovered another problem with businesses requiring: even though more than 70% of Massachusetts residents are vaccinated and have real vaccine cards, private companies don't have access to individual health records.
Smith told the I-Team he has no way to verify that the information on a vaccine card is accurate beyond what a patron or artist tells them. The club doesn't have access to state records or anyone's personal health information.
Still, businesses checking cards at the door say requiring proof of vaccination gives them peace of mind.
"To a degree, there's the honor system. We're concerned about safety of staff, performers and audience. We are a place of business that our whole M.O. is to bring people together into a space. We certainly want to make sure that it is a safe space for everybody," Smith said.
The Department of Health told I-Team state immunization records can only be accessed by health care providers, local boards of health, school nurses, state programs, and health plans.
