Sanlam vaccination sites geared up for the 50 to 59 age group

As the country gears up to vaccinate people between the ages of 50 and 59, Africa’s largest non-banking financial services group, Sanlam says its vaccination sites are ready.

Established in partnership with Sanlam’s healthcare partner, Afrocentric, the sites are located at the Sanlam offices in Bellville and Houghton and other sites are in Woodstock, Centurion, Roodepoort and Durban.

Chief Executive of Sanlam Life and Savings, Mr Jurie Strydom, today hosted a site visit by Western Cape MEC for Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mr David Maynier, at the Bellville vaccination facility and encouraged people to register for their vaccinations.

“Since the onset of Covid-19 in South Africa, Sanlam has been at the forefront of fighting the devastating impacts of this pandemic through interventions such as donations to the Solidarity Fund, support to our intermediaries and premium holidays for our clients. Setting up the vaccination sites is an extension of that commitment.

“Over the last few of weeks we have vaccinated over 10 000 people at our sites in line with the vaccine rollout protocols, and we are geared to scale up further.  The next phase of registrations for vaccination begins today and it is imperative that as many people as possible heed the call to register and vaccinate. We believe this is a critical measure to see us through this pandemic and boost our country’s recovery.”

Mr Strydom said since the opening, the facilities and protocols had been tested and refined.

“It is important that large private sector employers play their part as an extension of South Africa’s vaccine programme so that we can encourage every eligible person to get vaccinated and to experience for themselves that the process is smooth and effective,” he said.

Speaking after his visit to the Sanlam vaccination site, Mr Maynier said that there had never been a time when effective collaboration between public and private sectors was more crucial.

“The Sanlam vaccination centres are some of the many examples of the extensive support and buy-in from the private sector to work with government to encourage the registration and rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations in the Western Cape.

“The fact is that economic recovery depends on vaccinating as many people, as fast as possible, because with more jabs, there will be more jobs in the Western Cape. And so, we are grateful to the private sector for their commitment to support the vaccine rollout strategy, and we look forward to working with the private sector so that together we can rebuild the economy and create jobs in the Western Cape,” said Maynier.

As with other private vaccination centres, the Sanlam sites follow national protocols. Those in groups currently eligible for vaccination must register on the EVDS system that can be accessed from www.sacoronavirus.co.za.

The system will allocate a date and time at the vaccination site closest to the individual. Citizens who have registered on the EVDS but have not yet been allocated an appointment may receive a vaccine, however this does depend on whether those with bookings have been served.

Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa are currently available to people aged 60 and older, healthcare workers and teachers. The National Department of Health recently announced that citizens aged between 50 and 59 years would be eligible for vaccination from 15 July.