'They'll get their jab in Braams' - Mzansi reacts to 18-34s getting the Covid-19 vaccine

As most of the country passes the peak of the third wave of Covid-19 infections, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday that people that are 18 years old and older will soon be able to register for the vaccine.

Speaking to the nation, Ramaphosa said the country has enough doses of the vaccine to open the vaccine programme to all adults.

“We will now allow people between the ages of 18 and 34 to be vaccinated from September 1 2021. This will be in addition to the age groups that are currently eligible, which is everyone over 35 years of age,” he said.

He also praised the current rollout.

“As we have always said, our most effective weapon in the fight against Covid-19 is an effective and comprehensive vaccination programme.

"In the last few weeks, our vaccination campaign has made huge strides. We are now administering more than 240,000 vaccines every weekday. A month ago, this figure stood at about 100,000 vaccines per weekday.”

Ramaphosa said the figures would increase as the government adds to the number of vaccination sites and the registration system is improved.

Earlier this month, acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced that people from 35 to 49 years old could get the vaccine from August 1, with registrations beginning on July 15 for this age group.

She added that vaccination sites would be open on weekends from August 1.

While the news was celebrated on social media, some said Ramaphosa should instead focus on addressing youth unemployment.