The flu vaccines have arrived, but the vaccination portal says "registration is closed"

The first 30,000 doses of seasonal flu vaccine have arrived in the country, Health Minister Sasho Klekovski announced. A second shipment of 26,000 doses is expected by November 15, and the ministry is working to secure a total of 80,000 doses. According to the minister, vaccination should start between October 16 and 25, with priority for at-risk groups, who will be determined by diagnosis at the public health centres.

There's just one problem. The vakcinacija.mk portal, where citizens have signed up until now, carries the message: "Registration for seasonal flu vaccination is closed." There is no information about the new season, no explanation of whether the message is left over from last year, no date from which appointments can be booked.

Klekovski says registration has to go through the module in "Moj termin" (My Appointment), so the ministry can see how many people have signed up. But online registration has not been enabled yet. The minister announced he will be the first to get vaccinated, to encourage citizens to sign up - once they can.

There is an explanation for the delay: all three seasonal flu strains are new this year, so manufacturers in Europe and beyond started production later. Klekovski even says vaccination here will start earlier than in some neighbouring countries, where it will begin in November.

But the portal is another story. Older people and the chronically ill, precisely the at-risk groups, often book with the help of family members, online. When the state website tells them it's "closed", that's not a technical detail - it can be the reason someone gives up. How long does it take to update one sentence on a website in time?