“A week after the Government changed its policy to make COVID-19 booster vaccines available four months from last dose, the Book My Vaccine website is still set up for six-months,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“The Government delayed home isolation and continued MIQ, creating heartache for thousands of separated Kiwis. The idea was to implement four-month boosters with no time to waste, but even something as simple changing a date has been botched.
“First, the Government said that it would be two weeks from the December 21 announcement until four-month boosters were available. Then, when GPs and pharmacies were inundated with requests the next day, it backtracked saying they would be available right away.
“Now, the Book My Vaccine website only allows bookings from six months after the last dose. If you were last vaccinated on, say, August 26, you can’t book a booster until February 26. That’s despite the fact you are eligible for a four-month booster from today.
“What’s more, you cannot get any booking until January 5. We understand people need a break, but there’s either a crisis or there isn’t. Even if we accept that vaccine bookings are closed for two weeks while Omicron sweeps the world, why can’t people who are eligible now book for when they’re open?
“If our reconnection with the world is delayed because of Omicron and four-month boosters are the strategy, shouldn’t they be available as soon as possible?
“Time and again, people wait and sacrifice for the Government’s response to work. Unfortunately, when it comes to something as simple as programming the earliest available booking date, the Government can’t get it right.
“Meanwhile, Kiwis have found a bug in My Vaccine Pass. If you delete the pass from your phone’s wallet and reinstall it, the end date resets until June 1. The expiry dates on people’s vaccine passes are therefore meaningless. They’re not linked to the date of vaccination and therefore immunity levels, they’re just linked to when you downloaded the pass.
“The Government has claimed this is a feature not a bug. The truth is they have no plan so just set an arbitrary date. No doubt they will have to change this in the future.
“Once again, the Government is failing to do basic things in its vaccine roll out, despite being among the latest in the world to do it. As the costs of COVID start to mount up, we need the Government that asks so much of New Zealanders to start doing basic things right.”