Over-35s are eager beavers

The age group of 35-plus proved to be extremely eager to receive their first vaccinations. Residents in the 35 to 49 age bracket started registering for their Covid-19 vaccine since last Thursday 15 July. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said in the four days up to Sunday, the province reached nearly 300 000 registrations, “and we are fast approaching 1 000 000 registrations in the Western Cape overall”.

The WC Department of Health has indicated that the EVDS (Electronic Vaccination Data System) has already started scheduling vaccinations for this age bracket where there are gaps, which means appointment SMSs will be starting sooner than initially planned.

Priority

Although many 35-plussers would like to present themselves as walk-ins, Winde’s advice is to wait. He said it is possible that walk-ins for the 35+ bracket will be helped at the public sites, but they might have to wait longer, and it is not guaranteed that they will be helped if the vaccine allocation at the site is used up. An appointment remains the preferred route at this early stage. “The Western Cape is trying to manage the limited number of vaccines it has at each site in a fair manner, based on those who are most vulnerable. The best and most objective way to do this is by age.

“This is because older residents have a much higher chance of dying if they get infected. This is based on very sound research globally,” he said.

There are registered residents in the 50+ bracket who have yet to receive the first dose of the vaccine, and an even larger proportion in the 60+ bracket who still need their second dose. “But we only have a set number of doses to use each week, and at each site,” said Winde.

Under-35s

Deputy Director-General in the Department of Health, Nicholas Crisp, told ENCA that South Africans under the age of 35 could begin to register for their Covid-19 vaccine around the middle of September.