The government’s offer of a R100 grocery voucher to the over-60s when they get their first Covid-19 jab has had such a lukewarm response that the incentive scheme is being expanded to the those aged over 50.
The government is pushing hard to increase vaccine coverage among older people before the next surge in cases, as age is the single biggest risk factor for severe Covid-19. More than 80% of SA’s Covid-19 deaths have occurred in people aged 60 or older, according to the health department.
The “Vooma Voucher” scheme, intended to shore up flagging demand for Covid-19 vaccines among SA’s most vulnerable age group, has seen just 8,135 vouchers redeemed since its inception on November 4, and has so far failed to drive up the daily number of shots administered to the over-60s.
The pilot project has been funded by the private sector, which has so far put up R25m, enough to potentially reach a quarter of a million people.
“We are trying to understand the reasons for this slow uptake,” said the health department’s head of vaccine demand acceleration, David Harrison.
"We are only two weeks in and it may be that the message takes time to filter down to everyone. But we don’t have the luxury of time with the fourth wave approaching and must adapt our strategy quickly if it doesn’t seem to be having the desired effect,” he said.
SA is reporting a seven-day moving average of just 327 cases a day, down from a peak of almost 20,000 at the height of the third wave, according to Our World in Data. Experts anticipate a fourth wave will make itself felt in December, with transmission increasing as people socialise and travel more during the festive season.
SA is offering adults either a single shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two jabs of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine administered six weeks apart.
Government figures show only 3.5-million or 64% of SA’s 5.5-million people aged 60 and above have had at least one vaccine dose. Coverage varies widely across SA, ranging from 77% having received at least one dose in Limpopo to just 49% in the Northern Cape.
The vaccination rate among the over-60s fell steadily during October, from 4,000 a day to 3,000 a day, and the health department had hoped the offer of food vouchers would see the rate pick up by about a third, to return to a level of about 4,000 a day, said Harrison.
The food vouchers are offered to a vaccinated person after they get their first shot and can be redeemed at Shoprite, Boxer or USave stores.
So far the opt-in rates have been low, raising questions about whether the over-60s may be struggling with the technology, said Harrison. Of the 48,500 vaccinees offered a voucher, only 16.8% had accepted the incentive.
Officials are puzzling over why they have not seen an uptick in demand since the voucher scheme was launched and are now extending the offer to people aged between 50 and 59 to gauge whether this relatively tech-savvy cohort takes up the vouchers with greater enthusiasm than their elders. However, it is also possible that awareness of the vouchers was simply low, since the scheme is relatively new, or that vaccine uptake is already saturated among the over 60s, Harrison said.
By November 17, SA had administered 24.3-million vaccine doses and fully immunised 33% of the adult population.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.