admin
JOHANNESBURG. – From today all adults in South Africa will be eligible to register for a Covid-19 vaccination, cabinet confirmed yesterday.
The government is fighting to boost the rate of vaccinations, which have remained low as the country battles the third wave of the pandemic. All those 18 years old and older can register for vaccinations from today.
A vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalisation and death in those infected by the virus, which has claimed tens of thousands lives in the country since its start of 2020.
The cabinet, which met on Wednesday, was alarmed by a slowdown in the rate of Covid-19 vaccines, and was considering proposals, including opening up vaccinations to all adults and increasing the number of vaccination sites.
Five months after administering its first vaccines, SA is still far from meeting its target of reaching 70 percent of the population, a threshold that experts say is necessary before the country can reach herd immunity and reduce the risk of further lockdowns.
In addition to a health crisis, SA’s economy has been devastated by the various lockdowns and shrank by 7 percent in 2020, with a loss of more than 1 million jobs. – Businesslive.
Online Reporter