Andrew Yang advocates for mass tracking of COVID vaccinations

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is advocating for the mass tracking of COVID-19 vaccine recipients—be it a mobile app or physical bracelets.

"Is there a way for someone to easily show that they have been vaccinated - like a bar code they can download to their phone?" Yang questioned Friday on Twitter, adding that "[t]here ought to be."

He suggested that it's difficult to hold mass gatherings such as concerts or ball games "without either mass adoption of the vaccine or a means of signaling."

"I’ve been tested at a photo shoot or interview and gotten a bracelet showing I was negative. Then we could interact more freely," Yang insisted.

However, there's already a plan in motion to dispense vaccination cards. The Department of Defense released the first images of coronavirus vaccination record cards on Dec. 2, KCTV reported.

Everyone will be issued a written card to be stored in their wallets that will tell them "what they had" and when their next dose is due, stated Immunization Action Coalition associate director Dr. Kelly Moore.

Vaccination clinics will also be reporting to their state immunization registries what vaccine was given, so that an entity will be able to run patient-related queries.

Recipients will also be asked to voluntarily provide a cell phone number. Text messages will instruct them when and where their next dose is scheduled to be administered.

Every dose will be reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the CDC did not specify if this database would record every American immunized.

On Monday, the director of critical care at Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJ) in Yang's hometown of New York City became the first healthcare worker to receive the Pfizer vaccine in a non-trial setting, KABC-TV reported.

Intensive care nurse Sandra Lindsay received the historic shot while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo observed from Albany via livestream. Afterwards, Lindsay was awarded a sticker that read: "Crushing COVID-19, Got my vaccine.”