Gauteng health department reveals only 37% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated

Of 5.2-million people aged between 18 and 34 in Gauteng, only 1.7-million have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

And only 369,557 of 1.2-million people aged 12-17 have been inoculated.

This was disclosed on Friday as the province urged more residents to go for their inoculations and follow-up jabs, particularly with Covid-19 restrictions having been eased and public holidays fast approaching.

So far 44% of Gauteng's population has received one dose of Pfizer, while only 37% are fully vaccinated.

“This means there are many residents who are yet to get vaccinated. All those who are yet to be vaccinated are encouraged to get to their nearest vaccination site to receive their jab before the Easter weekend,” the provincial government said.

“Parents, caregivers and legal guardians are encouraged to have open discussions with their children about the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine to help them make informed health choices.”

To facilitate vaccinations, the Gauteng government is continuing to roll out the school communities vaccination programme targeting teenagers and has been running a campaign aimed at improving access to vaccines at workplaces, to help the economy return to full activity.

Employers and any institution that would like their employees to get vaccinated can forward their requests to popupsite@gauteng.gov.za or call the Gauteng hotline on 0800-22-88-27.

The latest status report showed the province has 998 in-hospital Covid-19 patients. The number of patients admitted to ICU/high care is 140.

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