Health department doubles Vooma vaccination vouchers to R200 for people over 50

The Gauteng health department has doubled the incentive amount of the Vooma vaccination voucher to R200 to get more people over 50 vaccinated.

On Monday, the department said people in this age group were expected to be among the most affected by the fourth wave of infections driven by the new Omicron variant. 

“A large number of unvaccinated people aged 50+ are predicted to die in this fourth wave. We want to make sure the 50+ have the taxi fare to get to vaccination sites before Christmas,” said the department.

The vouchers are redeemable at any Shoprite supermarket within 30 days.

The vouchers were initially only for people over 60, but last month the health department extended the incentive to people over 50 to encourage them to get vaccinated. 

“We have funding for 260,000 vouchers. They will only be given to people coming for their first dose, either the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or first dose Pfizer, but will not be issued for the second Pfizer dose,” the department said at the time.

On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa called on South Africans to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as SA gears up for the fourth wave driven by the Omicron variant. 

“If there is someone in your family or among your friends who is not vaccinated, I call on you to encourage them to get vaccinated.  Vaccination is by far the most important way to protect yourself and those around you against the Omicron variant, to reduce the impact of the fourth wave and to help restore the social freedoms we all yearn for,” said Ramaphosa.