Cabinet has encouraged those in their 50s to register for the COVID-19 vaccination on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) from today, to receive their shot from 15 July.
People in this age group are urged to register using the https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za or WhatsApp 0600 123456.
Meanwhile, Cabinet has confirmed that police officers will be vaccinated from Monday, 5 July.
According to a Cabinet statement released on Thursday, the inoculation of the police officers will be followed by members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) who are due to receive their jab from Thursday, 8 July.
This comes as government intensifies the country’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout plan to protect citizens from the devastating effects of the virus, Cabinet said.
As of 30 June, Cabinet said over three million people have been vaccinated. This includes healthcare workers, senior citizens, and teachers.
“The dates for vaccination of employees in the frontline of productive economic sectors such as mines, retail workers, and others will be announced by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Vaccines that is chaired by the Deputy President,” the Executive added.
Meanwhile, Cabinet said the tightening of the State of National Disaster restrictions to Adjusted Alert Level 4, would strengthen government’s ability to limit the surge in infections by limiting the burden on the healthcare system that is already overwhelmed.
“The additional restrictions will be reviewed after 14 days and took care to minimise the impact on economic activity as part of the continued balancing of the need to save both lives and livelihoods.”
Cabinet has once again emphasised that the Delta variant was more transmissible than previous variants.
“Therefore, this requires vigilance in our day-to-day interactions because many people who are infected with COVID-19 do not show any symptoms.”
During this "dangerous" period, Cabinet is advising people to avoid public places and adhere to non-pharmaceutical health protocols by wearing masks when in public, washing hands frequently with soap and water or using a 70% alcohol-based hand sanitiser and maintaining a social distance of at least 1.5 metres. – SAnews.gov.za
