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Around 7 000 children between the ages of 12 and 17 received their first shot of the Pfizer vaccine by 4 pm on Wednesday, 20 October 2021.
Following the formal launch of South Africa’s childhood vaccination campaign, the Department of Health affirmed that 6 843 of the 39 109 teenagers who signed up for the vaccine on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) were vaccinated by Wednesday afternoon.
“The first day of vaccination of 12 to 17-year-olds went well without reported challenges,” the department announces.
According to the department, Gauteng leads the way in registration, with 15 573 teenagers registering so far.
The province is followed by:
- The Western Cape with 10 589 registrations.
- KwaZulu-Natal with 5 676 and the Eastern Cape with 2 397.
- Free State with 1 397.
- Limpopo with 1 119.
- The North West with 1 048 registrations.
- Mpumalanga with 831.
- The Northern Cape with 479.
The department also expresses gratitude to parents who responded to the call by assisting their children with registration and accompanying them to vaccination sites.
“That was a sign that they had frank and open discussions at home about the benefits of vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Around six million children are enrolled in secondary school. The department’s objective is to reach at least half of all students before schools close.
Well done to the parents and teenagers showcasing intelligence by getting vaccinated. You are awesome!
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