South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccination schedule – if you can expect a sting

An infographic developed by Watch and Media Hack makes it easy to understand South Africa’s vaccination schedule and when you can expect to get your sting.

The South African vaccination program began on February 17, 2021 after 80,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine landed in the country.

A South African study has shown that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine offers powerful protection against serious illnesses.

While it does not prevent mild symptoms, it offers 57% protection against moderate to severe illness, 85% protection against serious illness, and 100% protection against death.

To date, 381,171 South Africans – mostly healthcare workers – have been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The government is now planning to speed up the pace of vaccinations and open online vaccine registrations to the public on April 16.

The Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) is available to all citizens aged 60 and over as part of the second phase of the vaccination program.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said there is no difference between private and government health users, other than private health users having to share their details about medical assistance.

After a person has registered in the system and is authorized to vaccinate, they will receive an SMS with the date, time and place where they will receive the vaccine.

Public and private sector vaccination centers are used for vaccination, including healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and general practitioners’ offices.

Non-health locations such as schools, church halls, shopping malls, and occupational health locations are also used.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said by the end of April the Ministry of Health had registered 3,357 accredited vaccination sites.

Ramaphosa added that there was a comprehensive logistics and supply chain plan in place.

This includes all supply chain preparation and activities from the time the vaccine arrives in the country until it is made available for vaccination at each location.

While vaccination registrations are now open to all South Africans over the age of 60, vaccines won’t be introduced until May 17th.

The minister said May 17 will mark the end of the first phase vaccination program for health professionals and the start of the second round.

“We said the second phase should take six months and that’s why we’re still sticking to it,” he said.

Last month, Mkhize said that millions of vaccine doses are expected to land in South Africa in the coming weeks.

He said South Africa received a total of 51 million vaccine doses – 31 million from Johnson & Johnson and 20 million from Pfizer.

The president said the government is determined to ensure that anyone over the age of 18 can be vaccinated for free.

When you can expect to be vaccinated

The different stages and vaccination dates can be confusing. For a better understanding, Bhekisisa and Media Hack have created an infographic.

This infographic is regularly updated with the latest information. You can access the latest version here.

Vaccine rollout in South Africa

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