The system that underpins Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine certificate system cannot recognise anyone with mixed doses as fully vaccinated, prompting further concerns about the mooted move to vaccine passports and conditional reopening.
The Guardian has received multiple reports from individuals who have been unable to obtain a digital vaccination certificate after they acted on medical advice and switched from AstraZeneca to Pfizer for their second dose.
The problem is also potentially affecting some aged care workers, who were initially told by the government to use leftover Pfizer doses not used on residents, before being advised to go to GPs, who only had AstraZeneca at the time.
The system of digital vaccine certificates is underpinned by the Australian Immunisation Register, a federally administered collection of vaccination records.
But a flaw in the system means that the Air cannot deem someone as fully vaccinated against Covid-19 unless they received the same vaccine type for both doses.
The most obvious reason for mixing doses is the changes in advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation on the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The health department says it is working with Services Australia in an attempt to fix the issue. But, until then, the department says those who received mixed doses can use their Immunisation History Statement (IHS) as proof of vaccination.
One woman aged over 60, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had initially received AstraZeneca at a hospital, despite her concerns about a pre-existing medical condition. For her second dose three weeks ago, doctors at the hospital insisted she have the Pfizer vaccine.
“Through no fault of my own, I had one of each,” she told the Guardian.
She now cannot obtain a digital certificate declaring that she is fully vaccinated.
She has since asked the department of health for help repeatedly, but received no response.
“I did ask the question ‘well, in that case, am I supposed to get another Pfizer vaccination?’, because there seems no alternative if they won’t acknowledge that I’m fully vaccinated.
“The only way to do it is to get another vaccination, which is a total waste of a vaccine that could belong to someone else.”
One healthcare worker told the Guardian he was also advised to switch from AstraZeneca, which he received before the changed Atagi advice, to Pfizer, due to prior clotting issues.
He now cannot obtain a certificate declaring he is fully vaccinated.
“That puts me in the unenviable position that if I have to go out and prove that I’m vaccinated, I can’t show them that certificate that they want me to show,” he said. “So I can’t prove that I’m vaccinated.”
The current Atagi advice is to use the same Covid-19 vaccine for both doses, unless there are special medical contraindications or precautions.
The health department said it was “actively working” with Services Australia to ensure that those who received a mixed dose due to special circumstances were able to receive a Covid-19 certificate.
“In the interim, individuals that have received a mixed dose schedule can use their Immunisation History Statement (IHS) as proof of vaccination,” a spokesperson said.
“The IHS displays all vaccinations, including Covid-19, that an individual has had that have been reported to the Air.”
“Such individuals are able to use their IHS as proof of vaccination until access to a Covid-19 digital certificate is enabled for clinically approved mixed dose schedules.”
Oxford University research released last month suggested that mixing the AstraZeneca and Pfizer doses can generate a strong immune response to Covid-19.
NEW - An Oxford-led study has found:
— University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) June 28, 2021
• Mixed schedules of Oxford/Pfizer vaccines generate strong immune response vs #COVID19
• Immune responses differed according to order of immunisation,with #OxfordVaccine followed by Pfizer generating the better immune response
More info⬇️
Mixed doses are not the only barrier to obtaining a vaccine certificate. Poor data entry, including at mass hubs like Olympic Park in Sydney, has caused a failure to update vaccine records in the system, forcing individuals to navigate a bureaucratic maze to have their records manually validated and updated.
Vaccines administered abroad are also not recognised on a person’s record, including Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses administered overseas before the vaccines were approved in Australia.
