Student COVID-19 Vaccination Verification Application: Known Issues

Recommended Action: Ensure that you are using the most updated version of your browser. We have verified that the application works on the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

More Details: For some users, the text box for entering the vaccination date(s) will only display “invalid date,” and anything typed in disappears. Users who are experiencing these issues appear to have old versions of Safari. Use one of the following browsers:

• Safari 14.1.2 or later
• Chrome 87.0.0 or later
• Firefox 65.0.0 or later

If updating your browser or using a different browser does not fix the problem, please email help@uw.edu with the subject “Covid vaccination verification application issue after updating browser” and the following information (in order of priority) so we may investigate:

• On which browser(s) did you get this error?
• Did you use any browser plug-ins while running the verification application? Assuming you haven’t enabled any plug-ins to run in incognito mode, open the application in incognito mode. Please do the following:
  • If you are using the Chrome browser, type Control-Shift-N (Windows) or Command-Shift-N (Mac) to open an incognito window (if you are not using Chrome and/or are unsure how to proceed we are happy to provide clarification or further instruction).
  • Paste the following URL into your browser and see if the same error persists: https://sps.uw.edu/attestations/#/covid19.

• Does clearing your browser cache fix this (follow the link for instructions)?
• Provide the following information, if possible.
  • Location details (e.g. On campus, in a different time zone/country)
  • Connection details (e.g. Mobile, WiFi, VPN, wired ethernet)
  • Error message and/or screenshot and/or video of issue
  • Time and date the error occurred
  • The information in the last line of the Page Footer (e.g. Version: 3.0 – Build 3.0 UWKSPROD08) so we can search our logs

ID: PRB1780629

Recommended Action:  Ensure your documents are one of the accepted file formats (.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .pdf) and that PDFs are smaller than 4MB.

More Details: Some students get an error when they try to upload verification for their Covid-19 vaccination, which states “We have encountered an error. If this issue continues, please contact help@uw.edu.” This is typically caused by students accidentally submitting invalid file types, particularly HEIF files (the image file type used by iPhones). It is notable that renaming a file with the endings “.jpg,” “.jpeg,” or “.png” will not actually convert the file to that type; the file must be converted via a web app or exported as the valid file type.

Additionally, some students are unable to submit their verification as a PDF file because the size is too large. Please note that any PDF over 4MB will not be accepted by the application, but .jpg, .jpeg, or .png files can be compressed on UW IT’s end.

If you continue to encounter an error despite following the recommended action, please email help@uw.edu with the subject “Covid vaccination verification application document upload error after using accepted file formats” and the following information (in order of priority) so we may investigate:

• NOTE: Please do not include your proof of vaccination in this email
• List all the file format(s) you used
• If you are unable to upload a PDF, what is the file size?
• On which browser(s) did you get this error?

• Does clearing your browser cache fix this (follow the link for instructions)?
• Provide the following information, if possible.
  • Location details (e.g. On campus, in a different time zone/country)
  • Connection details (e.g. Mobile, WiFi, VPN, wired ethernet)
  • Error message and/or screenshot and/or video of issue
  • Time and date the error occurred
  • The information in the last line of the Page Footer (e.g. Version: 3.0 – Build 3.0 UWKSPROD08) so we can search our logs

ID: PRB1853020

Update: This was fixed on November 16th at 10:00 AM If you run into issues, please email help@uw.edu with the subject of “Urgent: Uploaded proof of vaccination but seeing block.”

Recommended Action: 

1. 1. Confirm you are seeing following Covid-19 message when you go to the Registration Page: 

“You will not be allowed to register for classes until you upload your COVID-19 vaccination documentation or exemption request form. The University of Washington requires all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19, with certain exemptions allowed. To resolve this registration block so you can register for classes, visit the UW COVID-19 vaccination requirements page as soon as possible to get started.”

1. Confirm you see a message you have “successfully confirmed” your COVID-19 vaccination status on the Student Covid Immunization Verification page 
2. Email help@uw.edu with the following subject line: “Urgent: Uploaded proof of vaccination but seeing block.” Please either include your NetID or send the email from your UW email.

More Details:

• There are many other reasons besides the Covid Block a student could be unable to register, the error message should provide details and next steps.  
• This issue is very rare; as of 11/15 we have only seen 4 reports were registration was incorrectly blocked
• As of 11/15 25 incorrect blocks were found and fixed by engineers before users reported. 

Plan to Address: The team did a release on Nov 16th to mitigate the risk of this happening and have seen no new issues since then. We continue to monitor in order to proactively find and fix incorrect blocks.

ID: PRB1890811