A spokesperson for the health ministry confirmed that a glitch on the government’s online vaccination registration website is set to be addressed following reports of problems with foreign ID cards being registered.

The vaccination portal announced earlier on Saturday, requires users to register using their ID card. The portal has so far been opened to individuals wishing to set their vaccine appointment who are aged 50 and over.

However, Times of Malta readers flagged issues with foreign IDs ending in ‘A’ as opposed to ‘M’ for Maltese ID cards.

“We have already received reports of this issue and are going to contact MITA to address it accordingly,” a spokesperson for the ministry said when reached for comment.

“Anyone facing any kind of difficulty with registering on the site should contact the 145 helpline for assistance to make sure they can set-up their appointment,” the spokesperson added.

One of the readers who flagged the issue then stated that despite failing to register on the online website, an attempt at registering via SMS was successful.

The new online registration system was announced by health minister Chris Fearne earlier on Saturday. He stated that the system will be used throughout the rest of the roll-out as well.

Fearne also pointed out that one of the main benefits of registering online rather than via SMS is the ability to select the region in which the vaccination appointment is to be held. 

Those booking their appointment via SMS can only choose whether they would like to be vaccinated in Malta or in Gozo.

The health ministry will be circulating a video demonstrating how to use the website throughout its social media platforms in order to make sure that everyone has access to instructions on how to register.

The previous system involving letters being sent out directly to people informing them of vaccine appointments is set to be phased out by the online registration system, Fearne explained.