Service boost amid growing demand for vaccine passes

The Ministry of Health has bolstered call centres and involved pharmacies to meet demand for vaccine certificates, with 2 million already issued. Three newcall centres will be operating with extended hours, and a mail service is an added option. The expansion comes just over a week after the Government launched its long-awaited certification system, allowing the vaccinated more freedom over summer. The pass serves as an official record of a person’s Covid-19 vaccination status, allowing access to places requiring proof of vaccination under the Government’s newCovid Protection Framework, which starts on December 3. The Ministry of Health’s Michael Dreyer said more than 50 per cent of fully vaccinated people have now received their pass. ‘‘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.’’ Nearly 70,000 calls were made to the line on Thursday. Over the next couple of days, customers will also be able to go to a pharmacy and request a pass, Dreyer said.