NHS helpline will be launched for double-jabbed patients who miss out on Covid vaccine passports because of widespread admin errors
- The NHS app is currently acting as a Covid certificate for double-jabbed Britons
- Ministers drawing up proposals to make these vaccine passports compulsory
- But health officials are planning to launch new platform amid growing confusion
A helpline is to be created for double-jabbed patients who miss out on Covid vaccine passports because of widespread admin errors.
The NHS app is currently acting as a Covid certificate for Britons who have received two doses of the vaccine to return from amber list countries without quarantining.
Ministers are now drawing up proposals to make these vaccine passports compulsory to enter pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs by the end of September.
But health officials are planning to launch a new service amid growing concern that hundreds of people have not had their vaccinations recorded correctly, according to The Telegraph.
Managers at vaccination centres told the publication that the problem is very common and arises if staff do not save inputted data.
One NHS vaccination centre manager told the Telegraph: ‘The mistakes are happening really regularly, and most often the problem only gets picked up either when they come for their second jab – and we realise there is no record of the first, or now, when people have started looking at their apps, because they need a vaccine passport’.
He added that at some large sites as many as 50 patients a day had been affected by recording errors – many of which were only starting to coming to light now.
Patients are being advised to contact their GP if the app does not offer them the correct pass.
But NHS England has since said a new platform ‘to support people with specific queries about their Covid-19 vaccination records’ will be launched within weeks.
MailOnline has contacted the NHS for comment.
The Government plans to make vaccine passports compulsory in clubs from September in a move to curtail the growth of the virus – but the proposal has not been welcomed by all.
Hospitality chiefs, MPs and civil liberties campaigners have already slammed the idea.
There are also growing fears that the hospitality sector, which is looking to recover from months of closure, may fall victim to a staffing crisis thanks to the ‘pingdemic’, with hospitality staff not exempt from self-isolation rules.
But on Sunday there was a dramatic fall in positive tests reported with a total of 29,173 new cases – adding to evidence the country may be emerging from the current wave.
This marked the fifth consecutive day that cases have fallen.
Experts are closely monitoring the impact of the lifting of lockdown restrictions, with some predicting that cases could continue to spiral until the autumn, passing the 100,000 mark in one weeks’ time.
Have YOU got your freedom letter? Travellers without smartphones are struggling to prove their jab status… but they can use this little-publicised method of getting proof
Travellers who do not have smartphones are having difficulty proving their Covid-19 vaccination status – but they can use a little-publicised method of obtaining of letter of proof.
Many countries require passengers to prove they have been vaccinated or have a recent negative test result before being allowed to embark on a plane or ferry.
Most do this by downloading the NHS app on to their phone, which gives them access to a QR code proving they have been vaccinated.
Travellers who do not have smartphones are having difficulty proving their Covid-19 vaccination status – but they can use a little-publicised method of obtaining of letter of proof (stock image)
But for those without smartphones or for countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina that only accept paper proof, the process is difficult.
They can, however, request their NHS Covid Pass either by going online or by ringing 119 and requesting a copy.
The NHS says: ‘You should get this letter within five working days.’
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate but similar arrangements.
Many countries require passengers to prove they have been vaccinated or have a recent negative test result before being allowed to embark on a plane or ferry (stock image)
Source: Read Full Article
