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As of August 2021, South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is expected to gain further momentum, with those aged between 35 and 49 years set to be vaccinated.
With registrations opening on 15 July 2021, the government will begin inoculating this group as of 1 August 2021. This was revealed by Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, during a media briefing on Friday, 9 July 2021. The briefing was held amid a sustained rise in infections, hospitalisations and related deaths in the past seven days.
Healthcare workers were the first to be vaccinated in March 2021 under the Johnson & Johnson Sisonke programme. A month later, the government began administering vaccines to the over 60 population.
Two weeks ago, over 500 000 basic education workers began receiving their doses. Last week, the programme focussed on those aged 50 and above with the security sector, receiving theirs this week.
In the last 24 hours, the country recorded 22 910 new cases, representing a 34.4% positivity rate. Of these, 11 747 were in Gauteng.
Overall, Kubayi-Ngubane said the government’s vaccination programme had made significant strides. “We have learned lessons from when we started, and we continue to improve our systems as we work and continue moving forward.” Last week, the programme received a shot in the arm when the South African Health Products Authority (SAHPRA) approved the use of the Sinovac vaccine. Kubayi-Ngubane points out; the approval came at a time when the demand for vaccines was increasing.
In addition, Kubayi-Ngubane said that while indications show that the number of cases in Gauteng have peaked and are now declining, the province remains the country’s epicentre. “We should never let our guards down and think that it is over.”
The Acting Health Minister has also expressed concern over the rise in numbers in the Western Cape, Limpopo, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. In this regard, she said the government is ramping up its vaccination rollout programme to ensure that vaccines can reach the majority of the population and ensure that more people are protected from the impact of the virus.
As of Thursday, 8 July 2021, South Africa was surpassing 191 000 vaccinations a day. “We’re expecting to surpass 250 000 vaccinations by next week,” the acting Minister said. Overall, the country has to date vaccinated four million people – partially or fully.
“This is [a] milestone, although we know that many people are saying this is not yet enough because when we compare it with the percentage of the population, it’s still a bit of a challenge. Kubayi-Ngubane stresses, “We have to make sure that the vaccine reaches all South Africans as quickly as possible. We will now pay attention to vaccinations per district and make the research intervention, working together with provinces, to ensure that in each district in every local municipality, there is access to the vaccine.”
Be sure to do your part in the fight against the pandemic and register to have your vaccinations.
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