Momentum Metropolitan Holdings has completed the registration and accreditation of four mass vaccination centres in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria, and expects to start administering vaccines later this week in Gauteng depending on the delivery of the first vaccine consignments ordered. The coastal centres are expected to follow suit next week, again dependent on the delivery of the vaccine consignments.

“At present, we have at least 20 registered nurses per site and once all our centres are fully operational, we will be able to vaccinate 20 000 people per day,” says Momentum Health Solutions’ Damian McHugh. “We are using an automated queuing system at our centres, and will have ushers and staff to support and guide everybody who comes to be vaccinated through the process.”

All South Africans living or working in the areas surrounding these sites will be able to select them from the list when registering on the Department of Health’s EVDS system, and no costs will apply, regardless of whether a person is a medical scheme member or client of the group or not. Phase Two of Government’s rollout plan is aiming to complete the vaccination of healthcare workers, while simultaneously extending the rollout to everyone 60 and above.

Momentum Metropolitan Holdings is continuing to partner with Government and private partners to add additional vaccination capacity countrywide. “It is imperative that all South Africans have equal access to vaccines, and we are proud to play our part in helping achieve population immunity as soon as possible,” says McHugh. “Government, business and private individuals are all pulling together to ensure that we administer as many vaccines as possible within the shortest possible timeframe, equitably, and without compromising safety. This may be the biggest project this country has ever tackled, but if we continue to approach it as one team with a common goal, we will succeed.”