Staff shortages resulted in long delays at the Government’s Covid-19 vaccination centre yesterday, while the vaccine hotline was affected by technical difficulties after being swamped with calls.

The online vaccination registration form has been taken offline temporarily to allow for upgrades to the registration system. The form will be available on Monday morning.

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, said the glitches were “disappointing”, and had been caused by high demand.

Ms Wilson spoke out after the release of 360 more test results, which were all negative. The number of active cases dropped to ten after one previous carrier recovered.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health said that the delays at the Police Recreation Club were “due to a shortage of available staff to administer the vaccines”, while the vaccine hotline is experiencing technical issues as a result of the volume of calls being receiving.

“Callers may find themselves directed to voicemail or put in a queue without having their call answered,” the spokeswoman said.

“The Ministry of Health is working expeditiously to resolve this issue, requiring additional channel capacity to meet the current demand.”

Ms Wilson said that the “sheer number” of people getting vaccinated had put a strain on the system.

“However, I have to congratulate the vaccination team for doing a tremendous job in getting our residents vaccinated, notwithstanding that not everything goes according to plan all the time,” she said.

“We are making incredible progress, and our focus remains on getting as many residents vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can.”

Addressing concerns about potential side effects of the vaccine, Ms Wilson said that no significant safety concerns had been reported.

She said: “In addition to a sore arm and swelling at the injection site, side effects reported by some trial participants include tiredness, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills and fever.

“This is normal and is not an indication of Covid-19, as there is no Covid-19 virus in the vaccine.

“These minor side effects, which are not experienced by everyone, is your body’s immune system responding. If, however, the side effects are more than a mild reaction, you should contact your doctor immediately.”

The health minister added: “Side effects are less common in patients 55 and older, and they occurred more frequently after the second dose. If you have a history of severe allergic reactions, also known as anaphylaxis, talk to your doctor before you get the vaccine.”

• For information on vaccines and how the Covid-19 vaccination will be administered, as well as frequently asked questions on the vaccine, visit www.gov.bm/vaccines