South Africans can now apply for a Covid-19 digital vaccine certificate through a digital vaccination certificate portal, the Department of Health said on Friday, reports the Mail & Guardian.

The launching of the certificate – a joint venture between the Health Department and the CSIR – came a day after the UK announced it was removing SA from its Covid-19 travel red list.

‘We expect that this certificate will be a tool to enable vaccinated people to access many opportunities,’ said Health Minister Joe Phaahla.

The project manager of the electronic vaccination data system, Milani Wolmarans, said the system had been developed using a phased approach and was currently in phase one.

‘The system will have new enhancements as the development progresses. The design of the vaccination certificate will be enhanced to ensure that it remains up to date with local and international standards.’

Each vaccination certificate has an expiry date which means the holder must update it on the digital vaccination certificate portal.

Wolmarans stressed that the expiry date did not apply to the vaccine received, but rather the certificate itself.

‘You will therefore have to download your updated vaccination certificate for it to remain valid,’ she added.

Only people who have received their Covid-19 vaccine in SA are eligible to access the vaccination certificate.

Possible network issues due to high traffic volumes or a network error might occur, noted Wolmarans.

Full Mail & Guardian report