Only 10% of elderly registered for Covid-19 vaccine so far
Health department has opened WhatsApp and SMS registration as the phase two of the vaccination programme aimed at vaccinating those aged 60 and above was expected to start next week.
As the date set for the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out for those aged 60 and above draws closer, Tshwane has raised concerns over a low number of registrations for the programme.
Tshwane health MMC Sakkie du Plooy said that only 10% of the elderly in the region have registered.
According to the provincial department of health, the target for those aged 60 and above was 316 487.
The programme was set to start on 17 May.
“This is a disappointing figure given the fact that we need to protect both our healthcare workers and the elderly to enable us to develop population immunity against the virus.”
Having received the vaccine himself on Wednesday, Du Plooy allayed fears related to the vaccine and added that it was safe.
“We understand that there may be some fears and anxiety over vaccines due to reported possible side-effects. I would like to reassure our residents that the vaccines are safe,” he said.
“The national department of health has given the green light for the vaccination process to continue.”
Du Plooy called on those aged 60 years and above prioritised in phase 2 to register for vaccination and urged the public to assist the elderly with the online registrations.
People with co-morbidities and essential workers should register for the programme as they were also eligible for phase two roll-out.
In an attempt to get more people registered for the programme, last month, the Gauteng health department of health embarked on onsite registration.
The department visited old age homes to assist the elderly with registration.
This was aimed at getting more people registered, even those who did not have access to cellphones as most parts of the registration were facilitated online.
The call for enrolment also comes as the metro has seen a slight but steady increase in infection in the region.
Meanwhile, the provincial and national government have warned that although the country has not hit the Covid-19 third wave threshold, the increase in cases was worrisome.
LISTEN:
Register online at vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za. If you encounter problems during the registration process, contact the Covid-19 hotline at 0800-029-999.
One can also register by doing the following:
– WhatsApp “REGISTER” to 060-012-3456 or SMS by dialling *134*832* your ID number #
– If you do not have an ID number, just dial *134*832#
The above services are zero-rated and you do not need data or airtime to access them.
For more information on the vaccine, the public can visit the South African coronavirus official page at www.sacoronavirus.co.za
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