Unprecedented demand on call centres following release of My Vaccine Pass

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Capacity for Ministry of Health call centres has been increased following “unprecedented demand” with the release of My Vaccine Pass.

Three call centres are now operating with extended hours and staff can email or post a Vaccine Pass to people.

The Ministry of Health has issued more than 2 million My Vaccine Passes since the system went live on November 17, which are needed when New Zealand moves into the new traffic light system on December 2.

However, demand on the 0800 number for people to call if they need help with getting a pass or logging into My Covid Record is increasing, with nearly 70,000 calls received on November 25.

Michael Dreyer, group manager national digital services, says more than 50 percent of vaccinated people now have a pass and the system has worked “incredibly well with these volumes”.

“We are expecting a lot more requests in the coming days online, however it has been our call centres that have faced unprecedented demand with higher volumes experienced than Vaccine bookings.”

The Ministry is rolling out an option for people to deal with someone face-to-face by going to a pharmacy to request their My Vaccine Pass. Nearly 400 pharmacies around the country currently providing vaccinations will now also be able to assist people with getting a vaccine pass.

Andrew Chen, research fellow with Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, Auckland University, says the Ministry may not have expected the number of people who do not have the necessary ID to access the online service, which includes a New Zealand passport, birth certificate or driver’s license. Migrants and people in rural communities are less likely to have these forms of ID.

The demand on the helpline also exposes the 20 percent of the population that is not digitally included because they do not have access to the internet or devices, or the capacity to use them.

He says adding capacity to the call centres and a face-to-face option will help, but the communities most affected by not having a pass are likely to be those who are already vulnerable.

“We may accept the passes are necessary to mitigate a health risk, but we are also accepting there will be inequities from an unequal vaccine roll-out that will be exacerbated,” explains Chen.

This inequity was also revealed during lockdowns when some children were unable to transition to online learning and adults were unable to work from home.

“People have been calling on the government to do something about digital inclusion for a really long time, but it has lacked the investment to really solve some of these issues and it’s not an easy problem to solve,” he says.

Innovation lead at Moana Research, Amio Matenga Ikihele, says the need for an individual email address can also be a barrier for Pacific Island communities and devices such as phones may be shared.

Older Pacific people often rely on their children or someone in their family to help them online, especially if English is their second language, and need to be able to trust those people with their information.

She says the four elements of digital inclusion are motivation, access, skills and trust. Motivation will come from people wanting to do basic things like visit the hairdresser and particularly if churches start asking for proof of vaccination, says Ikihele.

If you would like to provide feedback on this news story, please contact the editor Rebecca McBeth.

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