MySejahtera’s new vaccine certificate update still doesn’t solve its biggest problem

Malaysia has gradually reopened more business sectors to individuals that have been fully vaccinated. Just recently, MySejahtera has gotten an update for its digital vaccine certificate but it still doesn’t address its biggest problem when it comes to design and usability.

To recap, the digital vaccine certificate can be found on the Profile page in the MySejahtera app. In the old design, you will see your vaccination details for the first dose on the left and for the second dose on the right. If you tap on the Show QR button, you’ll get a single QR code that leads to a vaccination certificate page hosted on the Ministry of Health’s website.

So what’s new?

On the latest MySejahtera version, the vaccine certificate is now taller and information for both doses are stacked on top of each other. When you tap on the Show QR icon, you’ll see not one but two QR codes.

The biggest change is that the QR code can only be verified via a new app that’s called the Vaccine Certificate Verifier which is now available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

According to the app description, the app allows users to verify the authenticity and integrity of a digitally signed health certificate. Apart from Malaysian vaccine certificates, it is said to work with Singapore and EU formats. The provided screenshots also suggests that it could also verify a person’s COVID-19 test result.

What problem is this update suppose to solve?

I don’t know about you but it seems that the government is not focusing on what’s really crucial at the moment. While it is important to verify a person’s immunisation status, why is there a need to develop a separate app?

The previous COVID-19 vaccine certificate checker hosted on vxcert.moh.gov.my works just fine and it even provided more information such as the name of the medical officer that attended to you. The best part is that it doesn’t require an app and anyone with a smartphone can scan the QR code to verify a person’s certificate via a web browser.

Most importantly, who is this app for? Are retailers and premises required to use it to verify if a person is fully vaccinated? If that’s the intention, there’s currently no clear indicator to show if a person has fulfilled the criteria of being “fully vaccinated”.

If a person received a two-shot vaccine, the individual is only considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after receiving the second dose while individuals with a single-shot vaccine are only counted “fully vaccinated” 28 days after getting their injection under the current guidelines.

MySejahtera seriously needs a design revamp

With the ever-changing SOPs and lifting of restrictions, it is hard to keep track of what’s allowed and not allowed. Prior to this, all premises are only permitted to accept individuals with low risk and casual contact status. When the rule was first introduced, there was already confusion as certain retailers or supermarkets don’t accept individuals with the yellow casual contact status.

On top of the risk status, premises must also verify if a person is “fully vaccinated” which adds another layer of complexity. Staff or guards at the entrance have to ensure that a person has fulfilled the criteria including checking the date of when they have completed their vaccine dose.

With the current requirement, a user has to show their MySejahtera health risk status, digital vaccine certificate and then perform a check-in by scanning a QR code. It is no surprise that most premises will not be able to follow the SOP entirely as it is just not practical to do so.

All of these issues can be fixed with a redesign. The least MySejahtera could do is to have a single status page that gives a simple green or red status to determine if a person is low risk and has fulfilled the “fully vaccinated” criteria.

To take it to the next level, MySejahtera could take a leaf out from eWallets by having a “Scan me” feature. A guard or a staff at a shop can have a “merchant” MySejahtera app to scan a person’s MySejahtera QR code to verify if a person is low risk or casual contact, and has fulfilled the definition of “fully vaccinated”. If both checks out, the app can emit a positive beep and the person is automatically checked in to the premises. This makes it faster and less cumbersome as customers will just need to show a single QR code to gain entry and this would be more convenient for non-tech savvy users.

The rejected logins can also be recorded as well. The data gathered would help the Ministry of Health to determine the number of high-risk individuals that have attempted to visit these premises. Despite the high vaccination rates, Malaysians are expected to continue with the new normal for the foreseeable future. The least MySejahtera could do is to help make life easier for businesses so that they can comply with the SOP and make retail spaces safe for everyone.

What do you guys think? Do let us know in the comments below.