By Kaya 959 Reporter
The Department of Health will soon be rolling out a vaccination certificate, which will provide a secure and verifiable proof of vaccination.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his address on Thursday that the vaccine certificate can be used to facilitate travel.
It can also be used to access establishments, gatherings and other forms of activity that require proof of vaccination status.
“Our approach is informed by World Health Organization guidelines and is in line with international best practice. Streamlining and standardising proof of vaccination will also go a long way towards getting a number of international travel restrictions both from and into our country eased,” Ramaphosa said.
Despite a massive drive to get people vaccinated, vaccine hesitancy still remains an issue in SA.
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Vooma Vaccination Weekend
Ramaphosa said over 8.6 million people are fully vaccinated, which is more than one-fifth of the adult population.
“Significantly, 60% of South Africans over the age of 60, and 50% of people between the ages of 50 and 59 have now received at least one vaccine dose,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the government hopes to have at least 70% of the adult population vaccinated by the end of 2021.
“If we reach this target, the Department of Health estimates that we could save up to 20 000 lives,” he said.
Ramaphosa said to reach that goal, healthcare workers need to administer an additional 16 million vaccine doses this year, which amounts to around 250 000 first dose vaccinations every single workday of every week until mid-December.
A mass COVID-19 vaccination programme will be rolled out this weekend under the banner of ‘Vooma Vaccination Weekend’.
In a statement from the Presidency, acting spokesperson Tyrone Seale said a series of outreach programmes have been planned throughout the weekend.
Vaccines are also free of charge. During ‘Vooma Vaccination Weekend’, vaccination centres and points – including pop-ups – will be open all day on Friday and Saturday in all corners of the country.
Want to get vaccinated over the weekend?
550 new sites will open this Saturday (Oct 2) for the #VoomaVaccination weekend drive. Find a site in your area here: https://t.co/gsyvyVP67h#VaccineRollOutSA pic.twitter.com/u6ThhSoGFD
— Mia Malan (@miamalan) September 29, 2021
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