South Africa is opening new age groups for vaccinating, as the health department is receiving a number of requests with people are asking us to prioritize a certain sector.
South Africa (09 July 2021) – South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is next month expected to gain further momentum, with those aged between 35 and 49 years, set to be vaccinated which means everyone older than 35 will be able to sign up soon.
While registrations will begin on 15 July, the government will begin inoculating this group on 1 August.
This was on Friday revealed by Acting Health Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, during a media briefing. The briefing was held amid a sustained rise in infections, hospitalisations and related deaths in the past seven days.
Healthcare workers were the first to be vaccinated in March under the Johnson & Johnson Sisonke programme. A month later, the government began administering vaccines in the over 60 population. Two weeks ago, over 500 000 basic education workers began receiving their doses. Last week, the programme began focusing on those aged 50 and above. Personnel in the security sector this week started being vaccinated.
In the last 24 hours, the country recorded 22,910 new cases, representing a 34.4% positivity rate. Of these, 11 747 were in Gauteng.
Overall, Kubayi-Ngubane said the government’s vaccination programme has made significant strides.
“We have learned lessons from when we started, and we continue to improve our systems as we work and continue moving forward,” she said.
Last week, the programme received a shot in the arm when the South African Health Products Authority (SAHPRA) granted approval for the use of the Sinovac vaccine.
“The approval came at a time when the demand for vaccines was [increasing].
“More people are yearning to get vaccinated. [This] will boost the vaccine supply for the country’s vaccination rollout programme.”
Sinovac is in addition to the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines already utilised in the country.
Kubayi-Ngubane said while indications are that the number of cases in Gauteng have peaked and are now declining, the province remains the country’s epicentre.
“We should never let our guards down and think that [it is over].”
She expressed concern over the rise in numbers in the Western Cape, Limpopo, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
In this regard, she said the government is ramping up its vaccination rollout programme to ensure that vaccines can reach the majority of the population and ensure that more people are protected from the impact of the virus.
As of Thursday, South Africa was surpassing 191,000 vaccinations a day.
“We’re expecting to surpass 250,000 vaccinations by next week,” the acting Minister said.
Overall, the country has to date vaccinated four million people – partially or fully.
“This is [a] milestone, although we know that many people are saying this is not yet enough because when we compare it with the percentage of the population, it’s still a bit of a challenge.
“We have to make sure that the vaccine reaches all South Africans as quickly as possible. We will now pay attention to vaccinations per district, and make the research intervention, working together with provinces, to ensure that in each district in every local municipality, there is access to the vaccine,” she said.
This week, the Department of Health held a bilateral meeting with National Treasury to discuss the funding of the vaccination programme. In this regard, the department will begin availing of human capital to vaccinate over weekends from 1 August.
Vaccination breakdown:
A vaccine is intended to provide immunity against COVID-19. In general, vaccines contain weakened or inactive parts of a particular organism that triggers an immune response within the body. This weakened version will not cause the disease in the person receiving the vaccine, but it will prompt their immune system to respond.
Some vaccines require multiple doses, given weeks or months apart. This is sometimes needed to allow for the production of long-lived antibodies and the development of memory cells. In this way, the body is trained to fight the specific disease-causing organism, building up memory against the pathogen so it can fight it in the future.
The country started the vaccination roll-out on the 18th of February 2021 and to date, 4,017,442 vaccines have been administered, with 1,253,978 South Africans now completely vaccinated.
Breakdown as follows:
- Sisonke Programme Completed Vaccinations: 479,949
- Total J&J (one-shot): 395,626
- Total Pfizer Vaccinations (first dose): 2,763,464
- Total Pfizer Vaccinations (second dose): 378,403
This graph represents the latest known numbers:

The registration process is simple and easy and can be done by:
- Visiting https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/.
- Dialling *134*832# and follow the prompts (FREE on all South African Networks);
- WhatsApp the word REGISTER to 0600 123456.
Solidarity in Action
The Solidarity Fund was designed as a rapid response vehicle to mobilise South Africa against the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting health, humanitarian and social consequences. The incredible initiative is a nonprofit organization that is set up to support Mzansi with the South African spirit of ubuntu in these unprecedented times.
“This has always been the South African way. Now more than ever, we need to remember that we are a nation of people who overcome, who encourage and uplift each other and who can inspire new ways of being. We will overcome COVID-19 together and will be stronger as a nation,” says Wendy Tlou, The Solidarity Fund’s head of the Humanitarian Response and Behaviour Change Pillars.
For more information on the benefits and facts about the COVID-19 vaccine, please check out the Solidarity Fund by clicking here.