Children between 12 and 17 years old are encouraged to visit the Nelson Mandela Youth Centre and get their dose of the Covid-19 jab.
Clive Pillay of the centre said: “The Nelson Mandela Community Youth Centre vaccination site is currently doing vaccinations of children over 12 years old and we encourage the youth to come get their dose of the jab. The children will be receiving one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.”
Twins, 15-year-old Phelo and Phelokazi Mthethwa of Montarena Secondary, said they were eager to take their dose of the jab and urge more teens to get theirs done as well. “The jab will save lives and help us create a safer community. We encourage both children and adults to get their vaccines,” they said.
Meanwhile, now that travel is open for South Africans in most countries, residents can now download their digital Covid-19 vaccination certificates following the recent launch of the government programme. The programme has been welcomed by Chatsworth residents who are looking forward to travelling over the summer season. Yvonne Naidoo, a resident, said this development will benefit citizens immensely. “Through this development, we are now able to have proof of our vaccination on us at all times. It is possible that due to unforeseen circumstances, the physical certificate we have may be dispossessed at any given point. At least through the digital certificate, our proof cannot get lost.” The Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, said the certificate could be used for travel and tourism, sport and recreation events, music festivals, shops that are providing discounts and prizes for people who are vaccinated.
“Our role is to make this tool available to the nation to provide people with the proof of vaccination so they can have access to many of the amenities and activities that some have been missing. The vaccination certificate was initially introduced three days prior to the launch and while it was in the testing phase, some people have been able to upload it to their cellphones,” he said. Dr Phaahla said the launch of the first phase of the certificate has been completed and that there will be more improvements in the next two months with regards to the safety and security of the certificate. However, he has confirmed that the certificate is ready for use.
The certificate was developed by the Department of Health and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and can be found at https://vaccine.certificate.health.gov.za.
