Covid cert helpline still under pressure as callers wait over 90 minutes

The state’s Digital Covid Certification Helpline remains under great pressure, with callers on average waiting more than 90 minutes to receive help.

The helpline has been set up for field inquiries related to the digital certificate, which can be obtained by those who have been fully vaccinated or have recently recovered from Covid. Certificates are used to facilitate non-essential international travel within the European Union and indoor dining within the country.

to me Irish TimesIn the first week of operating the helpline, employees handled less than 10 percent of calls.

To ease the pressure on the helpline, an online portal has also been set up to allow those who have recovered from the virus in the past six months to apply for their degree. The portal has received more than 5,300 since its inception on Friday 23 July.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Health, the helpline has received more than 126,000 calls since Monday, July 19, of which only 10,500 were handled.

A statement issued by the department confirmed that 85 liaison agents had sent inquiries as of Friday, up from 55 the previous Friday.

The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system has also been modified to provide more information and «signal callers to other routes».

The department confirmed an average wait time of more than 90 minutes, but the average handling time added just under nine minutes.

Overall, 2.3 million digital certificates have been issued so far and the government has urged members of the public not to call the helpline unless they travel within the next 10 days.

The online portal for requesting a certificate if you have recovered from Covid within the past six months can be accessed through government website. The helpline number is 1800-807 008, however, the department emphasizes that this should only be used by those with an urgent enquiry.