Will I get a shopping voucher if I get vaccinated?

Citizens aged 50 and above who take the vaccine are rewarded with a R100 grocery voucher after receiving their jab.

The Vooma vaccination voucher initiative was introduced by the health department this month to ensure that as many people aged 50 and older get vaccinated ahead of the fourth Covid-19 wave. 

According to the department, three out of five over-60s (62%) have had at least one vaccination dose. 

“If we can get close to five out of five by the end of the year, we will crush the power of the fourth wave,” it said.

“The problem is that the rate of vaccination among older people is now very low. Fewer than 6,000 people who are 50 and above are being vaccinated every day, which means that there will be 1.8-million elder citizens unvaccinated at the end of the year.”

The department said one of the reasons people were not coming forward to be vaccinated was that they have to pay to get to vaccination sites or may have other associated expenses, even though the vaccination itself is free. 

“We want to try to make it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated,” it said. 

How does the Vooma voucher work?

People 50 years and older who get their first Covid-19 jab automatically receive notification of a R100 voucher by SMS on the cell number they gave for vaccination.

Those who do not yet have a free Money Market account with Shoprite will need to register either in-store or by free USSD, WhatsApp or mobile app. The free service will ensure that the voucher can be traced and reissued if it is lost and if it has not already been redeemed. 

It also means that people do not have to spend the full voucher all at once. The voucher is valid for 30 days after receiving it.

Vouchers will be issued until the end of November or until vouchers run out, whichever comes first. So far, only 8,135 vouchers have been redeemed. 

“So far, we have funding for 260,000 vouchers. Vouchers will only be given to people coming for their first dose, either the J&J vaccine or first dose Pfizer, but will not be issued for the second Pfizer dose,” said the department.