- Phase 2 of South Africa’s vaccine rollout, targeting people over the age of 60, will begin on 17 May.
- The health department is set to release details of more than 3,000 vaccination sites which will be used in Phase 2 and 3 of the rollout.
- Phase 1, which focuses on frontline healthcare workers, currently includes 92 vaccination sites.
- Healthcare workers and senior citizens are urged to register for their jabs.
- They'll be allocated a time and location slot according to their work or home addresses.
An updated list of active Covid-19 vaccination sites in South Africa has been released by the Department of Health ahead of Phase 2 of the planned rollout which is due to begin on Monday 17 May.
Just over 430,000 frontline healthcare workers have been vaccinated during the first phase of South Africa's immunisation rollout. Numerous delays, resulting from procurement problems, abandoned doses, and health concerns have placed South Africa far behind its initial target of vaccinating 67% of the population by the end of 2021.
Phase 1 of the rollout aimed to vaccinate 1.2 million healthcare workers by the end of May. Only 35% of this target has been reached, with a dismal daily average of doses administered standing at just over 5,000. This pace will need to be increased ten-fold if South Africa is to reach herd immunity before 2023.
Although South Africa has ordered enough doses from both Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer to exceed the needs for herd immunity, the limited number of vaccination sites and lack of collaboration with the private sector continues to subdue the country's Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
It's against this backdrop and a renewed sense of urgency that Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the programme – which aims to vaccinate 16.6 million people – will run concurrently from 17 May.
South Africans over the age of 60 have already been urged to register for their doses via the health department’s Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS). At the beginning of May, Mkhize confirmed that more than 700,000 citizens had registered to receive their doses.
Registration is currently only open to healthcare works and people over the age of 60. When registering through the online portal, applicants will be allocated a slot according to the vaccination site nearest to their homes or place of work.
Applicants can also register via WhatsApp – by sending “REGISTER” to 0600123456 – or dialling *134*832# via the zero-rated USSD system. Further details, including confirmation of the registration, dates, and available sites, will be sent via SMS to the applicant.
South Africa plans to have more than 3,000 vaccination sites
At least 92 vaccination sites are currently active throughout South Africa, according to an updated list published by the Department of Health on Wednesday 12 May.
The Eastern Cape has the largest share of listed vaccine sites (21) and Limpopo the second highest (17). The Free State has 11 vaccination sites. All other provinces have less than ten active vaccination sites as of 13 May.
The department intends to create more than 3,338 vaccination sites as demand increases. More than 70% of these sites are registered on the Masters Facility List and "are undergoing various stages of approval" before being opened to the public, explained Mkhize.
"Cabinet has reconfirmed the commencement of Phase 2 of the vaccine rollout programme on Monday 17 May 2021," noted a statement released by South African ministers on Thursday 13 May.
"This phase will commence with the vaccination of persons 60 years of age and older and the national and provincial departments of health will communicate the information about the location of more than 3,000 the vaccination centres."
The list of vaccination sites below will be updated according to details released by the department of health.
Here’s where you can get your Covid-19 vaccine in Johannesburg
Gauteng is due to have 746 Covid-19 vaccination sites by September 2021, with Johannesburg accounting for a third of the province's total. The majority of these sites (almost 60%) will be facilitated by the private sector. The most populous province in the country currently has just seven active hospital sites servicing frontline healthcare workers. These include:
- Charlotte Maxeke Hospital (Parktown, Johannesburg)
- Helen Joseph Hospital (Rossmore, Johannesburg)
- Mediclinic Medforum Hospital (412 Francis Baard St, Arcadia, Pretoria)
- NHN Lenmed Ahmed Kathrada Private Hospital (K43 Klipspruit West Lenasia, Soweto)
- Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (26 Chris Hani Rd, Diepkloof 319-Iq, Johannesburg)
- Netcare Milpark Hospital (9 Guild Rd, Parktown, Johannesburg)
- Dr George Mukhari Hospital (3111 Setlogelo Drive, Ga-Rankuwa Unit 2, Ga-Rankuwa)
... in Cape Town
The Health Department plans to have 611 active Covid-19 vaccination sites throughout the Western Cape, with more than half of these in Cape Town alone, by September. Unlike in Gauteng, the majority of these sites (more than 60%) will be facilitated by the public sector. The province currently has nine active Covid-19 vaccination sites, including:
- Mitchells Plain Hospital (8 AZ Berman Drive, Lentegeur, Cape Town)
- Caledon Hospital
- George Hospital (King George Park Corner of Davidson and Langenhoven Rd)
- Worcester Hospital (Murray St, Worcester)
- Paarl Hospital (10 Hospital St, Lemoenkloof, Paarl)
- Melomed Gatesville (Clinic St, Gatesville, Cape Town)
- Tygerberg Hospital (Francie Van Zijl Dr, Avenue, Cape Town)
- Khayelitsha Hospital (Walter Sisulu Drive and Steve Biko Drive, Mandela Park, Khayelitsha)
- Groote Schuur Hospital (Main Rd, Observatory, Cape Town)
... in Durban
KwaZulu-Natal is expected to have the highest number of vaccination sites (841) in South Africa by September. Less than 20% of these will be operated by the private sector. A quarter of all vaccination sites in the province will be based in Durban within the eThekwini municipality. The province currently has nine active vaccination sites – only one of which is located within the eThekwini municipality – including:
- Netcare St Augustine's Hospital (107 J.B. Marks Rd, Bulwer, Berea)
- Christ the King Hospital (Ixopo)
- Hlabisa Hospital (60 Saunders St, Nongoma)
- Ngwelezane Hospital (Thanduyise Dr, Kuleka, Empangeni)
- Vryheid Hospital (Coswald Brown St, Vryheid)
- Dundee Hospital (121 Mckenzie St, Dundee)
- Mediclinic Pietermaritzburg Hospital (90 Payn St, Pietermaritzburg)
- Ladysmith Hospital (36 A Malcolm Road, Ladysmith)
Note: If you are a healthcare worker and you cannot register on the EVDS you may simply go to the site for on-site registration and vaccination.
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