Seychelles is set to start issuing COVID-19 vaccination certificates or QR codes at the health centre level across the country following vaccinations as of August 1, a health official said on Monday.
At the moment QR codes required for travel purposes are currently only being issued at the Blue Roof building at the Ministry of Health in Victoria upon the request of a vaccinated person.
The programme manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) at the health ministry, Florida Bijoux, said that health facilities that are administering vaccines will be able to print out QR codes to provide to their clients as of August 1.
“Once a person has been vaccinated, he or she can ask for their QR code straight away if you are a person who travels often or will be travelling soon. If you have an email address, the QR code can be sent to you electronically and can be stored on your computer or phone,” said Bijoux.
Printed out on an A4-sized paper, the QR codes contain the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses taken and the type of vaccine a person has taken as well as the person’s date of birth, and National Identification Number (NIN).
“To be able to issue a QR code, health officers will need your NIN, as such a person should come in with documents that feature your NIN – an ID card, passport, or driver’s license. A foreigner will have to bring their passport,” said Bijoux.
She explained that the QR code is valid for the number of vaccines doses a person has taken.
“For example, if you have taken two vaccine doses, a QR code is produced for you. Once you get your third dose, another code will have to be issued to update the latest shot taken,” she said.
“We are calling people who need a QR code to include it on their travelling checklist outlining what they need before travelling. I want to advise clients to come on time to get their QR codes and not to wait until the last minute, especially when the centre is closed,” she added.
Currently, there are 206 COVID-19 active cases in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
AUTHOR: Seychelles News Agency
