How to Register for a Covid-19 vaccine through WhatsApp in South Africa

The Department of Health has revealed how to register for a Covid-19 vaccine through WhatsApp in South Africa.

A Covid-19 vaccine registration portal has been launched and it is available through WhatsApp and USSD, this service allows eligible South Africans to sign up for a Covid-19 vaccination as part of the country’s official phase 2 and phase 3 vaccination programmes.

Phase 2 of the programme, which began on Monday 17 May 2021, focuses on people over the age of 60 as well as healthcare workers which have not been vaccinated through the Sisonke protocol.

The self-registration services can be accessed as follows:

• WhatsApp – You can now register on the Covid Whatsapp number by sending ‘Register’ to 0600 123 456.
• USSD – You can also register by SMS by dialling 134832*your ID number.
• No ID number – South Africans who don’t have an ID number can also dial *134*832# for assistance.

If a South African is younger than 60, the Department said it will send a message to the user notifying them when they do qualify for a vaccine.

If a user is over 60 years of age, the process is similar to the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) Self Registration Portal which was set up as a website by the government.

Once supplying their ID and medical aid number, users will be asked to read the EVDS privacy policy and accept it. They will then be required to input their personal identification data and register for a booking.

Speaking in parliament on Thursday 6 May 2021, president Cyril Ramaphosa said that the government finalised the contract for sufficient doses to vaccinate 41.5 million people.

In Q2 2021, three million vaccines are set to arrive from Johnson & Johnson, 4.5 million from Pfizer and an additional 1.5 million Pfizer doses through the Covax initiative.

“The plan is in place. The centres are in place. The people have been trained. The transportation is in place to transfer these Covid vaccine doses at the correct temperature. The medical aid schemes are supporting this process.

“When it comes to securing the health of our people by securing vaccines, the South African government is going to pull out all stops. If it’s necessary for the Finance Minister to come forward to for a supplementary budget, we’ll do that.”