2023… Many are still out celebrating, creating lists of new (“new”) goals to achieve, and many are licking their wounds from a Eve too big for their britches, but many – a lot more than you think – are bracing themselves and preparing for what is to come. One of those things is California’s new-and-improved [“improved” (depends on who you’re asking)] digital, immunization registry, CAIR2, which we want to explain to you, now, below, or via our latest Instagram video:
WHAT IS CAIR2?
California has had an immunization registry, operated by local health officers and the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”), for 15 years. CDPH describes CAIR2 a “secure, confidential, statewide computerized immunization information system for California residents. The registry is accessed online to help providers and other authorized users track patient immunization records, reduce missed opportunities, and help fully immunize Californians of all ages.” [Emphasis added].
Prior to 2023, California law required any individuals administering vaccines enrolled with this registry to input immunizations directly into it; however, any administrators not enrolled in CAIR2 were not required to do so. They would simply administered the vaccine, recorded it in the patient file and on the “yellow card,” and that was the end of it. The law also authorized local health departments (“LHD”), CDPH, health care providers, and “other authorized users”, such as schools, childcare facilities, family childcare homes, and county human services agencies, to share specified immunization information for “to carry out their respective responsibilities,” such as for attendance, participation, receipt of benefits, etc.
As of today, however – thanks to Assemblywoman Akilah Weber’s Assembly Bill 1797, which was co-authored by – wait for it you will never believe it – former Senator Richard Pan, Senators Scott Weiner and Josh Newman, and Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks and Evan Low [click on link above which directs you to their contact information if you care to give them a shout] and became law on September 27, 2022 – every provider administering vaccines will be required to input the immunization into CAIR2, along with the recipient’s name, DOB, dates of immunization, type, adverse reactions, TB results, addresses phone number, gender, place of birth, race and ethnicity. Additionally, schools, childcare facilities, family childcare homes, WIC (Women, Infants & Children) service providers, foster care agencies, county human services agencies, and health care plans (“other authorized users”) can lawfully download and use your and your child’s immunization information to perform immunization status assessments of pupils, adults, and clients “to ensure health and safety.” [whatever any of that means].
Before we get to that, though, let’s refresh….
WHAT WAS AB1797?
In case you forgot [but how could you forget??1] the purpose of AB1797, per Weber’s officer’s own press release:, was this:
Monday, February 7, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Given the high COVID-19 infection rates among students and staff around California and the nation, Assemblymember Akilah Weber, MD, joined with school leaders, students and public health advocates to announce new legislation updating the California Immunization Registry (CAIR2) so schools are ready and able to implement new school based vaccine requirements.
Assemblymember Akilah Weber. MD said. “Vaccines save lives and are the cornerstone for keeping schools open and safe. That’s why we need to support our schools in implementing strong vaccine requirements, including providing basic tools for districts to verify vaccination status. CAI2 is a secure, confidential, web-based database that stores the immunization records of children and adults and is managed by the California Department of Public Health. While CAIR2 was developed in 2018 to bring together the various regional and county systems tracking immunizations, school districts currently do not have access to verify COVID-19 status in students and must rely on self-reporting and other labor-intensive measures. Additionally, this bill will require providers to report data in the registry and collect race and ethnicity data in an effort to address the very real health and vaccine equity issues communities face.
“If we want all of our schools to be healthy, we must recognize that vaccine status is one indicator to whether families have access to care. AB 1797 will help public health leaders at all levels push harder to make sure we are creating a healthy California for all,” said Assemblymember Akilah Weber, MD.
The CAI2 database currently supports over 45 million patients and is used to update California State COVID dashboards, the CDC’s daily COVID administration reporting collection system, and has supported the creation over 12.5 million digital COVID vaccine record (i.e. QR code). The bill is co-authored by Senator Dr. Richard Pan who joined with Dr. Akilah Weber to create a Legislative Vaccine workgroup dedicated to keeping schools open and safe, workplaces space and addressing the misinformation pandemic that has contributed to many public health crisis.
Dr. Richard Pan, State Senator and pediatrician said. “If we want to keep schools open and safe, we can’t just require vaccines. We must make sure school districts have access to the immunization registry, resources for vaccine education and clinics and the ability to implement the safety protocols we know are necessary to protect kids from the death and disability COVID19 causes.”
In other words, the Bill was presented to:
- Increase [force] COVID-19 vaccination rates,
- Help schools implement new vaccination requirements [by providing a system that allows schools to access your child’s health records without your knowledge or consent, and to “handle” your children, accordingly],
- Assist and “empower” schools with tracking and monitoring your child’s health status without your knowledge or consent,
- Target ethnic communities, and
- Build out the QR Cord “vaccination record” system.
Their words not mine. A permanent digital databased to accomplish the above, ushered in under the guise of a purported “state of emergency,” to facilitate CV19 vaccination for schools, before it was even required. WOW.
WHAT DOES H&SC 120440 SAY?
AB1797 amended, repealed and added Section 120440 to the California Health and Safety Code, which now reads and requires, inter alia, as follows:
NEW TYPES OF DATA RECORDED + REPORTED + SHARED
- The information reported to CAIR2 will include the Patient’s / Client’s:
- Name,
- DOB,
- Location of birth,
- Address,
- Phone number,
- Gender,
- Race and ethnicity,
- Type of immunization,
- Note: ANY and ALL vaccines administered in CA, not just childhood vaccines required for matriculation through school.
- When,
- Location / provider,
- Adverse reactions,
- TB results, and
- “Any other information necessary” to establish his or her “unique identity and record”
- Local health officers (“LHO”) may operate immunization information systems in conjunction with the Immunization Branch of the CDPH.
- LHO’s may share CAIR2 information with other LHO’s jointly operating the system.
- Health care providers, and other agencies, such as schools, childcare facilities, service providers for the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (“WIC”), health care plans, foster care agencies, and county human services agencies [which are “other authorized users”], shall disclose information listed in No. 1 to local health departments.
- LHD’s and CDPH may disclose the information listed in No. 1 to each other and, upon a request for information fora specific person, to health care providers, the Medical Board of California, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, schools, childcare facilities, county human services agencies, and family childcare homes to which the person is being admitted, is in attendance, receiving services, benefits, or care.
- This sharing of information is on condition that the P / C / parent / guardian does not refuse to permit record-sharing [does not lock records, see below].
EXPANDED USES + PERMISSIONS FOR SHARING DATA
- Health care providers, local health departments, and CDPH shall maintain the confidentiality of information listed in No. 1 in the same manner as other medical record information with patient identification that they possess and, if they fail to do so, are subject to civil action and criminal penalties and shall use the information to:
- “Provide immunization services,” including reminders when immunizations are due;
- Facilitate payments for immunizations;
- Compile and disseminate statistical information of immunization status on groups of patients or clients or populations in California, without identifying information for these patients or clients included in these groups or populations.
- “Other authorized users” (schools, childcare, WIC, foster care agencies, human services agencies, etc.) shall maintain the confidentiality of information listed in No. 1 in the same manner as other medical record information with patient identification that they possess and, if they fail to do so, are subject to civil action and criminal penalties and shall use the information to:
- “Provide immunization services,” including reminders when immunizations are due;
- Facilitate payments for immunizations;
- Compile and disseminate statistical information of immunization status on groups of patients or clients or populations in California, without identifying information for these patients or clients included in these groups or populations.
- To carry out their responsibilities regarding required immunization for attendance or participation benefits, or both,
- To perform “immunization status assessments” of clients and “to refer” clients found to be due or overdue for immunizations to health care providers;
- To perform “immunization status assessments” of foster children and to assist those foster children found to be due or overdue for immunization in obtaining immunizations from health care providers;
- In the case of schools, childcare facilities, family childcare homes, and county human services agencies, to perform “immunization status assessments” of pupils, adults, and clients “to ensure health and safety.”
- NOTE: LHD’s and CDPH may share the information listed in No. 1 with a state, LHD’s, health care providers, immunization information systems, or any representative of an entity designated by federal or state law or regulation to receive this information, unless locked.
- NOTE: CDPH may share confidential immunization information with other states for the purposes of patient care, protecting the public health, entrance into school, childcare and other institutions requiring immunization prior to entry, and the other purposes described in subdivision (d) [provide immunization services, facilitate payments, compile and disseminate stats, healthcare providers], unless locked.
NO OPT-OUT OPTION
- P / C / parent / guardian may refuse to allow information to be shared, to receive immunization reminder notifications, or both.
- After refusal, the P’s / C’s physician may maintain access to this information for the purposes of patient care or protecting the public health.
- After refusal, the LHD and CDPH may maintain access to this information for the purpose of protecting the public health pursuant to Sections 100325 [mortality studies], 120140 [to prevent the spread of a contagious, infectious or communicable disease], and 120175 [to prevent the spread of a contagious, infectious or communicable disease reportable by law], as well as Sections 2500 to 2643.20, inclusive, of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations [health care provider reporting communicable diseases to LHD’s and LHO’s] .
- The P / C / parent / guardian always has the right to examine the sharing of any immunization-related information or TB screening results and to correct any errors.
BOTTOM LINE:
- If you are currently in the system, your / child’s record will always be in the system.
- The information in your / child’s record will always be accessible by and shared by and between medical providers, local health departments, and CDFPH [aka: (the Government].
- The information in your / child’s record can be accessed by “other authorized users” without your knowledge, unless you lock you / r child’s record.
- There will be no more “yellow cards” used in California anymore. All immunization and TB transactions will be conducted via this online (digital) system run and operated by CDPH, including exemptions.
WHAT TO DO: LOCK YOUR RECORD… IF YOU HAVE ONE
Why? What will this do?
You, your medical providers, and the state will always have access to your immunization / TB records. However, by choosing to “lock” your records from “other CAIR users,” you will ensure that these other entities cannot download your records or information without your knowledge and weaponize you / r child’s medical / health information to discriminate against, harass, bully, and, ultimately, threaten and coerce you / r child to undergo or receive medical procedures, treatments, medications, etc. in order to maintain access to basic services, benefits, treatment, care, and education you would otherwise be legally entitled to and ethically deserving of without any reason for doing so other than they simply ran a search and figured out you / child was behind on certain immunizations [aka: no “probable cause,” you are not a menace, you are not a threat, you are not a danger, you are simply did not comply].
Won’t this “flag” me?
It is not unreasonable for people to want to lock their records from third parties. Again, you cannot lock your records from your medical providers or the Government, so to want that only third parties who are not involved in and directing your medical care [yes I just said that and mean it] is reasonable. We already lock our financial and other personal information, so why would we not lock our own or our child’s medical information, name, gender, age (DOB, race / ethnicity, address, etc.?
That said, there is a possibility that if you submit a “Request to Lock Form” without having a CAIR Record, you might “flag” yourself and create a CAIR record by accident! Which is why you have to confirm you have one first, then lock if (if you want).
How do I know if I have a CAIR record in order to lock it???
- Ask a vaccine provider to search the CAIR system to see if you have a CAIR account.
- Note: you can search yourself; however you have to upload your DL or passport to access your or your child’s records, which defeats the purpose.
- Note: unless you had a home / non-hospital birth + no birth certificate + no jabs + no TB screenings + no flu shots + travel vaccines + no “mainstream” medical treatment, IMO you likely have a CAIR record. This is exclusively my personal opinion based on my understanding of the digitization of medical records, insurance, benefits, and care over the last ~20 years and my understanding of other laws and communications and relationships between the local, state, and federal governments.
- If you have a CAIR record, submit the “Request to Lock my CAIR Record” form ASAP.
- Note: there was no December 30 or 31 deadline. You can request to lock – or unlock – your CAIR records at any time.
- You will get an email confirmation that your request was received and that it will take 5-7 business days to lock.
- You will not get an email confirmation that the record is locked.
- If you care to check, refer to Step 1 after 7 business days.
As always, READ + SHARE + ACT + PREPARE TO RISE.
The passing of AB 1797 – and enactment of Health and Safety Code, section 120400 – is just a teaser into what they have in store for us and their plans to roll out the Digital Police State. And there is already so much more that they already did before we even knew what was going on. We will continue to share this information – in pieces – to paint the entire picture for you to understand the gravity of where we are and why it is critical for you to get engaged right now.
January 4. 12 p.m., FreedomAngels.org will be leading a Grassroots Lobbying Day to Respectfully + Powerfully re/introduce us to our representatives and set the tone of this Legislative season.
GET IN THE FIGHT NOW.
We are winning… but that means it is going to get worse before it gets better. And it will get better. See how much good we did last year during the purported emergency while people were still waking up??? Imagine how much Impact we will have now.
IMPORTANT RESOURCES:
- CDPPH CAIR Page
- CAIR Forms (all languages) – un/lock, merge records, records request, General Information
- CAIR Un/Lock Form (English)
- Assembly Bill 1797
- Health and Safety Code, section 120400
- PERK AB1797 Newsletter
Source:
fltjllp.com/2023/01/02/all-you-need-to-know-re-californias-new-immunization-registry/
