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COVID-19 booster shots study starts in SA: What to know about it
The Department of Health has updated the public on the process that will be used for booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Currently, booster shots will only be available for health workers who took part in the first phase of the Sisonke trial between February and May 2021 and received the Janssen (J&J) vaccine.
The booster phase will be known as the Sisonke 2 Booster study and starts from Wednesday, 10 November. The shot will only be available from selected sites around the country.
Who qualifies for the booster vaccine in South Africa?
At the launch of the booster programme, health workers who participated in Sisonke will qualify for a booster if they received their vaccine between February and May 2021.
You will not qualify for the booster if you accessed the J&J vaccine outside of the Sisonke study or have already had a booster vaccine.
How do I register for a COVID-19 booster shot?
Rather than registering for the booster, participants receive an invite.
The invitation will be sent by SMS. The SMS includes a link that you should use to complete a consent form if you wish to take part in the booster study.
The department says that those who received vaccinations earlier will receive invites first.
After you complete the consent form, you will get a new vaccination voucher number.
The Department of Health notes that you should not register for the booster on the EVDS.
If you need to update your cellphone number, you will need to contact the National Coronavirus Call Center on 0800 029 999.
Once you have received your booster voucher number, you can visit one of the selected booster sites. You will need to show your ID or passport and your voucher number at the site.
Booster recipients will also receive a new vaccine card.
The booster programme will run until mid-December 2021.
You can find out more information about the booster programme on the Sisonke Study website and SA COVID-19 Portal.
Read more: How to keep track of the COVID-19 vaccine stats in South Africa
Read more: How to get your digital COVID-19 vaccine certificate
Feature image: Unsplash/Mufid Majnun
