Thursday 14 October 2021

Sellotape IT systems and covid testing

I'd struggled to understand why the government would be blocking Rako's access to the Covid test tracking system. Surely, even if they hated Rako, they'd want to get results reported in for their own tracking purposes. 

Dileepa Fonseka has a potential explanation. The IT systems, like most government IT systems, are a disaster.

The Government is struggling to meet its existing border worker testing obligations, allegedly thanks to IT systems “held together by sellotape”.

There have been growing calls for border workers to be tested more frequently than once a week in response to the more infectious Delta strain of Covid-19. Yet a recent move to saliva testing has highlighted a significant IT issue standing in the way of more frequent testing.

...

The problem was exposed during the saliva testing roll-out, because workers were required to be tested twice a week.

The mish-mash of IT systems, and other delays within the testing regime, meant the deadline for a border worker’s next saliva test could pass before they were asked to take their next one.

One source close to the problem said the whole system was “held together by Sellotape, and it should have been replaced 15 years ago”.

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