Bureaucracy around corona pandemic is relatively high in this country. Whether it’s agreeing on a federal and state containment ordinance, ordering vaccine, conducting the vaccination campaign, or implementing a digital vaccination certificate. In the meantime, much has been accomplished. Anyone who is eligible can get vaccinated and pull up the appropriate proof on their smartphone. But what about a digital proof of recovery?? When it comes to a 3G or 2G regulation for visits to restaurants, cinemas or theaters, recovered people get the same rights as vaccinated people. So how can people identify themselves who have survived a corona infection? Everyone is talking about the digital vaccination certificate, but almost no one is talking about the digital certificate of recovery. So where can you get one and does it matter if you are already vaccinated or not?
Pharmacists issue digital proof of recovery
In the debate over the vaccine, its distribution, prioritization for administration, and the issuance of digital certificates of vaccination, much of the media attention is focused on the proof of vaccination. However, a significant proportion of the population has already been infected with the virus and has since recovered. Even people who have survived Covid-19 disease can get a certificate – a proof of recovery. This is just like the vaccination certificate available in digital form and can be downloaded directly to the iPhone or Android device are pulled . But how do you get it?? In principle it is quite simple. Pharmacists issue the digital certificate of recovery.
To get the certificate you need a positive result of your survived disease . Otherwise, the pharmacy cannot verify that you were actually infected with Corona and are eligible for digital proof of recovery. The certificate must be issued via a PCR test have been. You can have this done in a variety of places. All options are listed below:
- PCR result from a laboratory
- PCR result from a medical doctor
- PCR results from a test site or. a testing center
- Medical certificate (if the certificate contains information about test type (PCR) and test date)
- Segregation certificate (if about the test type (PCR) and test/report date)
- Certificates from authorities (if about the test type (PCR) and test/report date)
This means that all other methods of establishing an existing or. survived Covid-19 disease have not been admitted . If, instead of a PCR test, you only have an antigen rapid test certificate, segregation certificates that do not contain information on the type of test or test and notification date, antibody certificates or disease certificates, you will unfortunately not be able to obtain a digital proof of recovery from the pharmacy.
New: Digital proof of recovery for unvaccinated persons
Pharmacies issue digital proof of recovery. However, this was not always the case. The Corona Warn app has been around for a while, but it is only in the last few months that pharmacies have been authorized to issue digital certificates. Since June, pharmacies have been allowed to issue digital vaccination certificates, and since July they have also been able to issue digital vaccination certificates for convalescents – i.e. for people who have recovered and have been vaccinated against Corona. A third certificate has recently been introduced – that for recovered persons without a vaccination against Covid-19 . This means that if you have had a Corona infection but have not been vaccinated, it is now possible to obtain a digital certificate of recovery from pharmacies.
Prerequisite is that you bring a corresponding PCR result with you. Previously, people who had survived the infection were only able to obtain the so-called digital EU certificate. The new digital certificate of recovery is valid for a maximum of 180 days . This is based on the PCR test. This must not be older than five months when you come to the pharmacy. Ideally, your result is 28 days old (this is the minimum time) and you come with the result to the pharmacy afterwards. In this way, your digital proof of recovery will be valid for as long as possible. If you would like to obtain such a certificate, you will need a positive PCR test and a valid photo ID – i.e. a passport .
You can get all digital certificates from your pharmacist
In the meantime you can get all certificates from your pharmacist. Especially the option to get the digital Genesenennachweis there should let many people with survived infection breathe a sigh of relief. This step was made possible by an amendment to the coronavirus test regulation. Now, when entering restaurants, swimming pools or theaters, it is enough to show the digital proof of recovery. This eliminates the need for regular testing before each visit. In addition, you can get the "classic" digital vaccination certificates from the pharmacist if you are fully vaccinated. People who have been vaccinated and infected with Corona also get a digital vaccination certificate in pharmacies.
By the way, this is not the same as the people with complete vaccination and without previous infection. Instead, people who are both vaccinated and recovered receive, the digital vaccination certificate for convalescents . So here we distinguish once again. People who have been vaccinated usually need only one vaccination with one mRNA substance and not two – just like people who do not have corona. So both groups (recovered and 1x vaccinated / not sick 2x vaccinated) are equal and get the same rights. Originally, convalescents had to wait six months before they could be vaccinated. The waiting period has now been shortened and four weeks are sufficient.
These digital certificates are available in total
With so many different certificates and regulations, it is easy to get confused. In Germany, there are four variants of the digital COVID-19 certificate according to the EU standard: