SOUTH Africa has administered more than 13 million Covid-19 vaccines, as it continues to ramp up its vaccination drive.
With 16% of the country's adult population having been fully vaccinated, government data shows that there’s been a gradual decline in the number of people getting vaccinated.
Government has set a target of administering 300 000 Covid-19 vaccines per day and when vaccinations were opened to the 18-35 cohort the target seemed attainable but the momentum has now dwindled.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) about 203 825 vaccines were administered in the last 24 hours.
A study commissioned by the Solidarity Fund in partnership with GCIS has revealed the reasons behind the slow uptake.
The study conducted between May and June by Ask Afrika revealed that young people are the least willing to get vaccinated against Covid-19 with concerns over side-effects as the main barriers among those between the ages of 18 to 24.
According to the study, about 36% of the youth are significantly unwilling to take the vaccine. Ask Afrika chief executive Andrea Rademeyer said that those 60 and older were more willing to get the vaccine.
Rademeyer said that concerns over side-effects were the main barriers among the 18 to 24 and 50-plus age groups.
“This is a big, big challenge for the youth, you can very clearly see, 18 to 24-year-olds are least willing to get vaccinated. This very clearly indicates that we need a lot more communication around the side of things,” she said.
Meanwhile, in KwaZulu-Natal an average of only 30 000 people turn up per day to be vaccinated against Covid-19 despite the goal being 60 000 to reach herd immunity.
Spokesperson for the KZN Department of Health Ntokozo Maphisa said although the vaccination programme was going well both the province’s Premier Sihle Zikalala and the MEC for Health have repeatedly made calls to the public to help accelerate the programme by coming out in numbers to get vaccinated, as this was the only weapon we currently have have against this deadly virus.