Kelvin Miller had a hard time securing his My Vaccine Pass. PHOTO/TOM TAYLOR
TOM TAYLOR
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Many businesses and organisations now require visitors to prove that they are double-vaccinated, with the new traffic light system coming into effect on Friday.
However, some people have been finding it hard work to secure their vaccine passes in recent days.
“I’m double-dosed, I’ve got my passport, I’ve got my drivers’ licence, and I’ve got an original birth certificate to show my ID,” Masterton resident Kelvin Miller said.
But Miller said that when he went to get his My Vaccine Pass from Masterton’s REAP House on Tuesday, they told him he needed a phone to access his emails.
Miller did not have his phone set up to receive emails.
“In the end, I got in the car and drove off. I went to the local MP and said, ‘I’m fighting to get my covid pass, I’m entitled to it, but it’s being declined.’”
Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty and his team assisted Miller to get his pass using an alternate method – calling the Ministry of Health to request a physical copy.
McAnulty said he had also assisted two other people that day, which took about 10 minutes in total.
“All I needed was their driver licences, and we were away,” McAnulty said.
“People do not require a mobile phone to get a printed version of the vaccine pass.”
People could get their My Vaccine Pass online through My Covid Record, over the phone through the Ministry of Health, or in person at a pharmacy.
However, there were no participating pharmacies in Wairarapa.
McAnulty said that only pharmacies offering covid-19 vaccinations could assist people in accessing their My Vaccine Pass.
“Wairarapa pharmacies are not offering covid-19 vaccinations – this is done entirely through the vaccine drive led by the DHB.”
REAP Wairarapa and the Masterton, Carterton, and South Wairarapa libraries had been assisting people in getting their My Vaccine Pass.
McAnulty had written to the Minister of Finance asking for support so that the community groups could continue their work.
He had also cleared his Wednesday schedule to help the REAP House team.
A REAP spokesperson said to get their My Vaccine Pass, people needed to have a unique email address or have a device with their emails on it to receive a verification code and the vaccine pass.
“If people do not have an email account, we can set one up for them,” the spokesperson said.
“REAP Wairarapa is responsive to needs in our community, and in this case, there were a number of people in our community who are struggling with digital literacy.
- If you cannot access My Covid Record or do not have a unique email address or valid ID, you can call the Ministry of Health on 0800 222 478 to request a physical copy.
