It’s been more than a month since James Hale was fully vaccinated at Olympic Park in Sydney.
But despite being bounced around the health bureaucracy, making repeated calls and filling out forms, his online immunisation record still shows he is missing a dose.
NSW Health eventually gave Hale, from Waterloo in inner Sydney, a temporary certificate as “proof” he had been vaccinated, but the document says explicitly it cannot be taken as proof of final vaccination status.
“I see this becoming a huge issue for people who have been fully vaccinated but can’t prove it and won’t be able to take up the same privileges as others due to a bungled data issue,” he says.
For Ian Failes, of Erskineville, it’s been even longer.
Failes got his first dose 50 days ago, also at Olympic Park. The online record still lists only his second dose, despite him having raised the problem with Medicare and the Sydney local health district, filling out a form, and following up with calls and an email.
“I wonder how many people are in the same boat, or don’t even know they’re in the same boat,” Failes says.
The expansion of vaccine-contingent travel and entry to at least some venues is almost an inevitability. On Thursday the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, took the first steps towards such an approach, relaxing outdoor gathering rules for the fully vaccinated.
But what happens if the online record system designed to prove a person’s immunisation status is flawed?
‘It’s sent me over the edge’
Three weeks ago, the Guardian began reporting problems with the entry of vaccine data on to the Australian immunisation register, a federally administered system which relies on individual vaccine providers uploading accurate information.
The problem was particularly pronounced at major vaccination hubs in Sydney, including Olympic Park.
The problem has persisted.
The cause appears to be simple. State vaccination staff are recording details – names, addresses, Medicare numbers – in a way that does not precisely match federal records. If the two datasets contradict, the register will not automatically update.
The fix, though, is more convoluted. It requires already over-stretched state health teams to correct past mistakes for each individual.
To do that, an individual needs to understand how to access their immunisation record and realise it is incomplete. Then they must navigate a bureaucratic maze – often calling Medicare, Services Australia, Covid hotlines, NSW Health, and individual local health districts – to find the right person to correct it.
The details must be manually validated and corrected retrospectively in the systems of local health districts before the new record is uploaded to the register.
Services Australia, which administers the immunisation register on behalf of the federal government, is largely powerless. It relies on accurate data from vaccination staff. Only vaccination providers can correct records.
Megan Cetinic got her first dose at Olympic Park three weeks ago, but soon realised it was not reflected in her record. She filled out a form provided by the local health district and spent countless hours on the phone to federal and state health authorities before finally being given an email address. Once she had emailed her details to the address, it was resolved the next day.
“It’s the amount of stress that it’s caused me over the last two weeks, it’s just sent me over the edge,” she says.
“Our freedom is riding on this vaccination passport and I don’t have updated records. If this is happening to me, I’m sure it’s happening to thousands of other people.”
NSW Health says the problem is not widespread. The Sydney local health district says 99% of vaccinations are reflected accurately in the register. But that does not accord with the experiences of those who spoke to the Guardian.
When Hale rang Olympic Park to have his record updated, he was told the problem was widespread.
“The woman mentioned they are having thousands of calls a day about errors and they are still catching up from March,” he says.
Sydney local health district has apologised for delays and says it has vaccinated more than 800,000 people since 22 February, more than any other health district in the country.
“We apologise for any delays and thank patients for their understanding and support while we continue to keep the community safe during this challenging time, and we thank the people of NSW for coming forward to be vaccinated,” it said.
The plan for vaccine passports
On Wednesday the prime minister, Scott Morrison, supported vaccine passports, despite internal resistance within the Coalition. Businesses, he said, had a legitimate right to refuse entry to those who have not been vaccinated.
The government appears to be backing a QR code-style system to verify vaccination status, relying on records on the immunisation register.
There is a similar system in France, where people must produce vaccine passports to get into cinemas, stadiums, bars, clubs and museums. England has also proposed its citizens may need vaccine proof to enter high-risk locations from the end of September.
On Tuesday Berejiklian signalled that her government was working on its own system: “NSW has developed technology to allow us to check in and show our vaccine … in one go.”
But it is unclear whether the technology is as far down the track as she suggested. Asked for more detail, NSW Health said simply: “The NSW government is actively considering its policies around the development and application of a vaccination certificate.”
Whatever the format of the passport system, it is clear accurate immunisation records will be crucial. And bad data from vaccine providers is not the only barrier to achieving a fair system.
Those who have been vaccinated abroad are also reporting problems having their status recorded on the register because the Australian government only recognises the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.
Other vaccine types will not be accepted, the government’s official advice says. That rules out vaccines like Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, which have been used widely in the United States.
“If you’ve received a Covid-19 vaccine overseas which isn’t Pfizer or AstraZeneca, it can’t be added to the [immunisation register],” the Australian government advice says.
That’s put people like Paul Roberts and his partner Valeriiya Kavelina in a difficult position. Valeriiya is currently in Russia and has been vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine, which has been authorised for use in almost 70 countries.
Roberts doesn’t see Australia ever recognising his partner’s vaccine, especially without World Health Organisation or European Union approvals. That’s left them with an uncertain future.
“It’s a waiting game for us right now before we can make any plans, and it depends on what the restrictions look like across our international border for arrivals after we reach the magic 80% mark for our eligible population,” Roberts tells the Guardian.
“One option would be to meet my partner in a transit country for four weeks … and obtain one of the vaccines approved in Australia prior to flying to Australia.”
Even for those who happened to obtain AstraZeneca or Pfizer abroad, there are still significant barriers to having it recognised in Australia.
The government will only recognise Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccinations from overseas if they were administered on or after the dates Australia approved the vaccines. Proof of vaccinations must also be translated into English by foreign health providers, a difficult prospect in some countries.
The translated evidence must be brought with a Medicare card to a recognised vaccination provider in Australia, who will verify the vaccination status and add it to the register.
The proposal for vaccine passports was expected to be presented to national cabinet on Friday, having been drafted by a subcommittee led by Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania, according to the Australian Financial Review. The proposal would reportedly leverage the existing Covid-19 digital vaccination certificates on mobile devices.
Whatever Australia decides, it is clear it will urgently need to fix shortcomings in its record system.