SBS Spanish understands that a significant number of Hispanic community members in Australia are having serious issues downloading their proof of vaccination, as well as problems when dealing with the various government health departments and vaccine providers responsible for verifying their identities and issuing the certificates.
Whilst some of those affected attribute it to the system not recognising their names due to character length, or variations in how vaccine providers spelled their names, others believe the problem occurs mainly among those who are not affiliated with Medicare and do not appear in government health record databases.
Most Hispanics have two names (first and middle names) and two surnames (father's family name first, and mother's family name second), but in Australia, only one surname is used, which frequently causes identity verification issues, as some databases don't allow enough space to input all names in full.
Like many Australian citizens and visa holders, Susan* and her husband received both doses of the vaccine at a pop-up vaccination hub in their home state of Victoria.
However, despite complying with all instructions and requirements, they were unable to access her proof of vaccination for months.
"I registered in MyGov to download the vaccination certificate, but my information does not appear in the system. The certificate appears blank," says the Colombian student, who has been living in Australia for two years.
Susan explains that when she received her first vaccine dose in September, her full legal name was not put into the system correctly.
Screenshot of a post on a community Facebook page Colombians in Melbourne. Source: Facebook
When she attempted to download her certificate days later to prove she had received her first dose, it appeared blank.
She corrected the naming issue when she went back to the same vaccination hub to receive her second dose in October, but despite assurances that the situation would be fixed, she was left in the lurch.
“I have been calling all the helplines, I've emailed the vaccination centre, but so far I have not been successful,” she complains.
“I have spent more than two weeks trying to get that certificate.”
Highlights:
- More than 80 per cent of Australia’s population over 16 years has received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Susan and Claudia Torres have had problems downloading their vaccination certificates, despite receiving both doses.
- Those who do not hold official vaccination certificates could eventually lose their jobs and be prevented from travelling interstate and abroad.
In the last few weeks, Susan has spent more than 10 hours placing multiple calls to different government service departments, to no avail.
She has called her vaccine provider, the Australian Immunisation Register, MyHealth, and the state health department hoping to fix the situation.
And she's not alone.
Screenshot of a post on a community Facebook page Colombians in Melbourne. Source: Facebook
Claudia Torres is another one of the many Hispanics who have experienced difficulties downloading her vaccination certificate.
She believes her problem was specifically related to how her name was entered during the registration process.
“They misspelled my name. One record was left with my two full names and the other with my name and only one initial,” Ms Torres says.
They said that solving the problem could take two to four weeks.
Ms Torres was able to access her certificate, but before doing so, she also spent hours on hold calling various helplines, including Services Australia, Centrelink, and the COVID Hotline.
“Many Colombians are having the same issue. The problem is that as Latinos we have two surnames. And the second one does not appear in the registry,” Ms Torres explains.
Both Susan and Ms Torres say they had difficulties navigating the system, as every service provider would ask them to contact a different department, claiming they were unable to fix the problem.
They believe there is little to no communication between the vaccine providers, state, and federal service providers, as they all seemed to point the finger at each other for the issues.
Both women also say they weren't provided with reference numbers to help them with follow-up calls regarding their case.
Susan also believes that because international students are not affiliated with Medicare, this is also preventing the government from comparing the vaccine registry data with other databases. This may cause further inconsistencies in the system and verification delays.
“It has been frustrating. We are an active part of the community and that we contribute to the economy. Many of us are helping and participating in business in many ways."
For Susan, and for so many other workers in Australia, the inability to obtain proof of vaccination also impacts their ability to continue working, as many employers are demanding proof of vaccination from employees to attend the workplace.
“Unless this is fixed, I am going to have to stop working until this is resolved, as the vaccine is mandatory in my workplace," Susan told SBS Spanish.
“The company I work for is not going to risk losing customers, so vaccination is one of my employer's requirements.”
As part of Victoria’s reopening roadmap, lockdown restrictions have been lifted for those who are double-dosed.
The new freedoms include access to restaurants, bars, and public events. Soon, vaccinated Victorians will also be allowed to travel both interstate and overseas.
However, a significant number of people who cannot download their certificates will remain precluded from these freedoms until they can produce a proof of vaccination.
She also fears that she will not be able to travel back to Latin America when international travel resumes.
“Unfortunately, as an international student, I do not have the option of leaving Australia, because if I leave now I will not be able to return,” she explains.
“This means my situation is very uncertain. Being double-vaxxed does not guarantee me being able to return to Australia if I were to leave.”
Despite the hassle, Susan says she is grateful Australia has provided the vaccine to people on temporary visas.
"I appreciate that they gave us the vaccine, but that is also tied to other responsibilities, such as providing a vaccination certificate and a pathway for fixing errors."
SBS Spanish contacted the Victorian Department of Health requesting comment and was told to contact the Australian Government Department of Health.
The federal health department said responsibility for the matter sat with Services Australia. Similarly, Services Australia explained the problem lay with the vaccine providers, which operate under the Victorian Department of Health.
Upon contacting Services Australia requesting a response, they offered to correct Susan's vaccination record.
However, they failed to respond to SBS Spanish's specific questions regarding their methods for verifying and resolving issues related to naming errors made by vaccine providers, or timeframes for doing so.
Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen stated via email:
"It is the responsibility of the provider to ensure the information is accurate and reported within 24 hours where possible. If they’re not able to report this information to the register on the same day, under the legislation they must report within 10 working days," the statement reads.
"Services Australia is responsible for administering the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), which holds information reported by vaccination providers. Only registered vaccination providers in Australia can record immunisation information on the AIR.
"If people believe their information is incorrect, and urgently require proof of their vaccinations, they can contact Services Australia. We will investigate and work with the vaccination provider and the customer to resolve these matters as soon as possible."
Despite feeling relieved for having had her record fixed, Susan's husband is still in limbo.
"I just want a simple, straightforward way for him and all the many others in the same situation to access their vaccinations certificates."
*Susan's surname has been suppressed due to privacy concerns.
