New Zealanders who are up-to-date with their jabs have a new-look COVID-19 vaccine pass available to download.
The passes will be downloadable for people who have had the recommended shots for their age group. For those over the age of 18, that means two primary doses and a booster. New Zealanders aged between 12 and 17 just need to have two primary doses. Passes are not available for anyone younger.
Previously, boosters, which were rolled out after passes were introduced, weren't required to receive a pass.
There are a few noticeable differences between the new passes and the original, the main ones being:
- They are now blue - the original passes were purple and yellow
- Māori is also used on the new passes, whereas just English was on the originals
- There is a slight reshuffle of text in some spots
- The QR code is slightly bigger.
There's no longer a legal requirement for businesses to use vaccine passes, but shops can still choose to use the system as a condition of entry to make themselves or customers feel safe.
"For this reason, it is a good idea to have an up-to-date My Vaccine Pass handy in case you are asked for it. I encourage everyone to stay up-to-date with their vaccinations and download their updated pass as it's an important record of their vaccination status," COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said when announcing the new passes earlier this month.
"We've learnt over the last couple of years there are no certainties with COVID-19 and with new variants circling the globe, it's best we're prepared for every eventuality."
The updated passes expire six months from the date they're issued. There's no cut-off time for people to request one.
They can be downloaded through My COVID Record, by calling 0800 28 29 26, or by visiting a participating vaccination site.
From May 31, people who are not up-to-date with their vaccinations because they have had COVID-19 over the last three months will still be able to request a pass. They will only be provided through the My Vaccine Record website if the person has reported a positive RAT result at the time they were infected.
