The Department of Health has clarified it is still testing its COVID-19 vaccine certificate website for South Africa, leading up to its official launch.
This comes after the link to the website was shared on social media on 5 October.
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Many users claimed the website experienced technical issues and they were unable to retrieve their certificates.
Has anybody been able to get their vaccine certificate from this site: https://t.co/1hKqz0ePvZ
I keep getting this error even though my network is strong pic.twitter.com/gxorTlSDdR
— Louise van Rhyn (@louisevanrhyn) October 5, 2021
Has anyone managed to get beyond this point and actually gotten their Vaccine Certificate? This is frustrating. Been trying since yesterday
pic.twitter.com/VDReQEsDyh — mpush ntabeni
(@mpushntabeni) October 6, 2021
Where to find your COVID-19 vaccine certificate
According to the department, it is still in the process of testing the COVID-19 Vaccine Certificate System.
“Thus, the system is not yet officially functional in a live environment which will enable vaccinated members of the public to access and download certificates,” it explained in a statement.
“We had to build a lot of security into the system to protect individuals’ personal data as much as possible.”
The department added the system will officially launch later this week.
“Thus, we request members of the public to exercise patience while we implement the final refinement as we prepare to officially launch the first version of the COVID-19 vaccination digital certificate,” it said.
Digital vaccination certificates for South Africans were first announced in September.
According to Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, the certificate system is in line with the WHO’s attempts to standardise vaccine certificates globally.
Citizens can use the certificate on their smartphones or print it out. They can then use the certificate for travel to countries that require visitors to have one.
Currently, visitors to South Africa do not require a vaccine passport.
Read more: Post Office to launch mobile app for car licence renewals
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