Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri appreciates Australians for enthusiastically participating in Covid vaccination campaign
Covert Report
Canberra: Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri has appreciated the Australians for enthusiastically participating in the Covid vaccination campaign.
“80% of eligible Australians have had their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Well done Australia,” he tweeted.
The envoy, who recently took over the new assignment, encouraged the Pakistanis to get vaccinated to defeat the pandemic.
Services Australia is encouraging people to access to vaccination proof online, either through a COVID-19 digital certificate or Immunisation History Statement (IHS). Both should appear via the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) shortly after patients receive their second vaccination dose – although this has not always worked smoothly.
Both the Immunisation History Statement and COVID-19 digital certificate can be viewed under ‘Proof of vaccinations’ in the app. There is an option to save this to your digital wallet on your smartphone.
Services Australia advises people without internet access to request a copy of their IHS through their vaccine providers – in many cases, general practices. Many general practices are issuing instructions at the time of vaccination and encouraging patients who are not confident online or with smartphones to seek help from a family member.
People who can’t get their vaccination proof online are also directed to call the AIR (1800 653 809) for their IHS or COVID-19 digital certificate. Delays are likely using this route – a trial call made by newsGP took 18 minutes to be connected, and as long as the need to prove vaccination status grows, the long-waiting times are likely to remain. It will also take up to 14 days for the statement or certificate to arrive by post.
While all states officially agreed to implement digital passports in their check-in apps at a National Cabinet meeting last month, there appears to be varied appetite for putting them in place – and different views on how long they will be required.
At least two states, New South Wales and Victoria, are already actively working the COVID-19 digital certificate proof into their smartphone check-in apps – although both are being used on a limited basis so far, and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet this week suggested the passports will ‘serve a short-term purpose’ only.
The Department of Health has said an Immunisation History Statement can also be used as proof of vaccination. The ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has signalled that he is not in favour of vaccine passports being a requirement given the territory’s high vaccination rates. There is ongoing debate about their implementation.
A small-scale trial is currently underway in Tamworth, Port Macquarie, Wagga Wagga and Lismore to include vaccination status within the state’s Services NSW check-in app.
The state’s Minister for Customer Services, Victor Dominello, has said its availability will be broadened more widely next week (beginning 18 October). It will not be mandatory.
Vaccination status will need to be proven, but it is not clear exactly which methods the territory government will put in place.
Again, there are no definite plans in place, although Tasmania has worked alongside Victoria and the Northern Territory in a National Cabinet subcommittee on the issue, indicating a readiness to introduce them.
