President Cyril Ramaphosa will tour a public health facility in Tembisa and a private-public partnership centre in Midrand, on Thursday, to assess the progress of the country’s vaccination programme.

His visit also serves to recognise the collaboration between government, the private sector and social partners.

Through the partnership, South Africa’s vaccination programme has increased its pace, with the number of vaccinated people now siting at more than 7-million. About  a million people are being vaccinated each week.

Ramaphosa’s oversight visit will also aim to motivate more people to get vaccinated.

The Presidency stressed the safety of Covid-19 vaccines, adding that it was an effective defence against serious illness, hospitalisation and death.

Weekend vaccinations have kicked off with over 1 500 volunteers assisting with vaccination on various sites across the country.

The Presidency added that its decision to move away from sectoral prioritisation in favour of age-based vaccination has proven to be more effective in reaching more people.