Durban: .A total of 49 672 teenagers in the 12 to 17 age category have been vaccinated against Covid-19, statistics released by the Department of Health on Sunday evening showed.
Vaccines for this age category opened on October 20.
The Ministerial Advisory Committee recommended that the 12 to 17 age group should be given only one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla said: “At this stage there’s been no indication that the first dose has any serious side effects so, for now, it will be just one, but we believe it will still offer significant protection and, once more information comes, we will offer the second dose. The timing of the second dose will be informed by further information.”
South Africa also reached another milestone – 11 560 617 people were fully inoculated against Covid-19, inching closer to 30% of the population being vaccinated.
More than half, 57%, were female.
Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the provinces with the highest number of people, have vaccinated only 25 percent of their population.
Limpopo has vaccinated 36% (3.7 million).
IOL