A COVID-19 vaccine is intended to provide immunity against COVID-19. In general, vaccines contain weakened or inactive parts of a particular organism that triggers an immune response within the body. This weakened version will not cause the disease in the person receiving the vaccine, but it will prompt their immune system to respond. Some vaccines require multiple doses, given weeks or months apart. This is sometimes needed to allow for the production of long-lived antibodies and development of memory cells. In this way, the body is trained to fight the specific disease-causing organism, building up memory against the pathogen so it can fight it in the future.

COVID-19 vaccines go through a rigorous, multi-stage testing process, including large clinical trials that involve tens of thousands of people. These trials, which include people at high risk for COVID-19, are specifically designed to identify any common side effects or other safety concerns. Once a clinical trial shows that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, a series of independent reviews of the efficacy and safety evidence is required, including regulatory review and approval in the country where the vaccine is manufactured, before the WHO considers a vaccine product for pre-qualification. An external panel of experts convened by the WHO analyses the results from clinical trials, along with evidence on the disease, age groups affected, risk factors for disease, and other information. The panel recommends whether and how the vaccines should be used.

When a lot of people in a community are vaccinated, the pathogen has a hard time circulating because most of the people it encounters are immune. This is called herd immunity. But no single vaccine provides 100 percent protection, and herd immunity does not provide full protection to those who cannot safely be vaccinated. However, through herd immunity, these people will have substantial protection, thanks to those around them having been vaccinated.

There is overwhelming scientific evidence that vaccination is the best defence against serious infections. Vaccines do not give you the virus, rather it teaches your immune system to recognise and fight the infection. The COVID-19 vaccine presents the body with instructions to build immunity and does not alter human cells. Vaccines have reduced the morbidity and mortality of infectious diseases such as smallpox, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B, measles, tetanus, whooping cough and pneumococcal conjugate across the world. Vaccinating enough people helps create herd immunity and stamp out the disease.

There are a number of variants of COVID-19 that have arisen around the world. No single vaccine will be effective against all the variants. South Africa’s vaccination campaign is guided by science and this means the country may need to change the choice of vaccine it uses. This was demonstrated in the case with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was less effective against the 501Y.V2 variant while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has proved effective against the COVID-19 501Y.V2 variant.

Government is sourcing, distributing and overseeing the rollout of the vaccine. Government as the sole purchaser of vaccines will distribute it to provincial governments and the private sector.

The first doses of the vaccine were from Johnson & Johnson as its vaccine has proved effective against the COVID-19 501Y.V2 variant. The country has secured 11 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Of these doses, 2.8 million doses will be delivered in the second quarter of 2021 and the rest spread throughout the year. South Africa has also secured a further 20 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and is finalising the agreement with the company. The Department of Health has also signed a contract with Pfizer for 30 million vaccine doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. The first batch of 325 000 doses of the Pfizer vaccines arrived in South Africa on 2 May 2021, and a further 1.3-million doses are expected by the end of May 2021. South Africa will have received 4.5-million doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of June 2021. The government is also in various stages of negotiations with the manufacturers of other vaccines such as Sinovac, Sinopharm and Sputnik V.

All adults and adolescents living in South Africa ages 12 and above are eligible to receive the COVID vaccine. The South African Department of Health is also working to deploy a process to allow undocumented persons to register on the EVDS so that they can also receive the vaccine.

Netcare has three vaccination sites across three major cities. These are separate from the vaccination sites set up by the South African Government:

• Cape Town - Old Mutual Park, Jan Smuts Road, Pinelands, Cape Town.
• Durban - Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital, 107 JB Marks Road, Berea (parking deck level 2).

Netcare has three vaccination sites across three major cities. These are separate from the vaccination sites set up by the South African Government:

• Cape Town
Old Mutual Park 09:00 – 15:00
• Durban
Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital 09:00 – 15:00

• You can register at https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/
• If you fall into the eligible group being vaccinated, follow the prompts.
• Once done, you will receive a voucher number via SMS.

Netcare has three vaccination sites across three major cities. These are separate from the vaccination sites set up by the South African Government:

• Your medical aid card (if you have one) and your ID.
• If you are a healthcare worker under the age of 50* you must bring proof of employment as well as your proof of registration with the relevant healthcare body.
• Please remember that, if you are going for your second vaccine, to bring along your vaccination card.
• *Government is currently rolling out to those < 50.

Walk-ins are limited as vaccination sites are full with those who have received their voucher numbers.