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To encourage more South Africans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, various companies and foundations are partnering to increase vaccination rates through various incentives.
Those over the age of 60 who receive the vaccine in November will be rewarded with a R100 grocery voucher, according to Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla.
The pilot scheme, worth R26 million, will benefit 260 000 retirees, according to the Minister. “This will be on a first-come, first-serve basis,” he said.
According to the Minister, the voucher will be texted to the cellphone number that senior citizens have registered on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS). Coupons will be accepted at Shoprite, Checkers, and Usave locations.
Once qualified, pensioners will be automatically invited to pick up their vouchers. They will, however, be required to opt-in under the Protection of Personal Information Act, or POPI Act, by dialling “YES” at no cost to the user when receiving an SMS.
“By dialling in, they’ll then be given access to the Money Market account of Shoprite, which protects their money. They cannot lose their voucher and once they’ve registered, that money is available to them.”
According to the Minister, the grocery vouchers are sponsored by the DG Murray Trust, Alan Gray Financial Services, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Elma Vaccines Foundation, Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.
“We hope the pilot will be a success so that it can encourage other companies to come forward. We welcome other initiatives which are still being considered.”
Update on the vaccination programme.
The Minister remains confident that the government will have reached 40% vaccination coverage of all adults by mid-November.
“We’re also happy that we see much steadier and consistent return for the second dose of Pfizer. So, this is not a major worry, as much as it was pointed out previously since a lot more people are returning.”
Furthermore, the Minister stated that the country is getting closer to reaching 70% coverage of the adult population. He said that he hoped to reach 70% of the over-60 age group and 50% of the 50 to 59 age group by the end of December.
“We once again urge everyone to take advantage of the current low levels of infection and come forward to receive the vaccination before the expected fourth wave,” he says.
What are your thoughts on this fantastic concept? Share your valued opinions in the comments section below.
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