Sir, – I recently accessed the Covid Certificate Portal to ascertain the status of my certificate. I received my two doses of Pfizer vaccine in February and March 2021. The response included the following narrative: “This may be because we are missing some relevant data related to your vaccination record. Please call the Helpline at 1800 807 008 and our agents will assist you”. Numerous attempts to call the helpline have proved fruitless, presumably due to pressure on the service.
It is almost five months since my second dose, rather than the five days which the helpline announcements emphasise as a benchmark for certificate issue. I’m sure there are many other elderly people in a similar situation. It is disappointing that the service has not taken a proactive stance to filling any data gaps, by contacting me or my GP. This exercise, identifying long-pending cases by a simple database analysis, would not only meet people’s needs more promptly and reduce stress on vulnerable people, but it would also reduce demand on the helpline. – Yours, etc,
JOHN J CANNING,
Bishopstown, Cork.