Pharmaceutical group Clicks has extended its vaccination services to certain SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) pay points and old age homes.

The services began this week in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape and Newgate in Johannesburg, with plans to open many more around the country.

The vaccinations dispensed at pop-up venues are part of a pilot between the department of health, Business for SA, the Solidarity Fund and private vaccinators. It aims to reach the unvaccinated uninsured population across the country.

“The pilot programme was a huge success, and we expect it to be extended across SA in the coming months. Ease of access for those being vaccinated is a huge relief and they were very grateful to see us, with a good pickup of those wanting vaccination,” said Bronwyn Macauley, national key accounts manager: public-private partnerships for Clicks.

“Many of our elderly population don’t have access to Wi-Fi or know how to use the EVDS [electronic vaccination data system], so we also helped them to register while they were queuing for their grants.”

To date, Clicks said it has administered 60,000 vaccines at over 120 sites, and is set to open 180 more vaccine sites on Friday.

Working with the Western Cape health department, the group also started offering vaccinations at old age homes in the province.

“This forms the next phase of the vaccination rollout. We are working with the department of health to provide a turn-key vaccination service for those who have limited access to transport to vaccination sites,” said Clicks managing executive Vikash Singh.

According to Singh, Clicks sites have seen a tremendous influx of people since it began administering to people 50 years old and older. He said now that walk-ins are allowed, he expects the number to rise significantly.

According to the department of health, 4,017,442 vaccine doses have been administered in SA so far.