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Are you 40 and over? Acting health minister wants you to soon register for the Covid-19 vaccine

Acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane
Acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane
Image: GCIS/JAIRUS MMUTLE

Acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane says the government is looking at opening the Covid-19 vaccine registration portal for people aged 40 years and older. 

Kubayi-Ngubane said she had received requests from scores of people worried about the increasing number of Covid-19 infections.

She told 702 on Monday that the government was considering the requests and changes would be announced by the end of the week. 

“I have received a request to say we need to consider opening the 40 plus, specifically because they are active, they move and all those things — we are looking at that,” she said. 

Kubayi-Ngubane said opening up the registration portal will save the country's economy. 

“We would like to see the 40-plus registration open in the coming weeks so we can start making sure we vaccinate the people that are active and moving so we can save our economy as well,” she said.

According to statistics shared by the government’s head of digital communications, Athi Geleba,  fewer than 500,000 people have been fully vaccinated in the country. At least 2,142,624 people have received their first dose of the vaccine. 

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported that SA has to date recorded 1,832,475 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 9,160 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours, along with 93 deaths.

Last week, Western Cape premier Alan Winde said it was time for the government to open up Covid-19 vaccine registrations for citizens aged 50 to 59.

He said there was no reason this shouldn’t happen while vaccinations of people 60 and older continue under the second phase of the Covid-19 vaccine programme.

He said he was worried that registration would be left to the last minute. 

“We should rather be getting as many people registered now so that we can have a seamless change to the next phase, without any delays,” said Winde. 

“I will continue to make these arguments in my engagement with the national government because we must ensure we are ready for the next phase as soon as possible.”