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20 August 2021 | Story Department of Communication and Marketing

Dear Student, 

As from today (20 August 2021), all people 18 years and older are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Register on the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme registration portal to get the vaccine.

Individuals aged 18 and older can get vaccinated at sites  across the country – including the Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein and retail stores such as Clicks and Dischem.

Remember, you can walk into any vaccination site to register and vaccinate. 

Here is a list of registered vaccination sites closest to the University of the Free State campuses: 
- Boikhuco Old Age Home – Bloemfontein (Mangaung)
- MUCPP Community Health Centre in Rocklands – Bloemfontein (Mangaung)x
- Pelonomi Hospital – Bloemfontein (Mangaung) 
- Standard Bank Building – Bloemfontein (Mangaung)
- Universitas Academic Hospital – Bloemfontein (Mangaung)
- Botshabelo Hospital – Botshabelo (Mangaung)
- Seemahale Secondary School – Botshabelo (Mangaung)
- Dr JS Moroka Hospital – Thaba Nchu (Mangaung)
- Dihlabeng Regional Hospital – Bethlehem, Dihlabeng (Thabo Mofutsanyana)
- Thabo Thokoza Secondary School – Dihlabeng (Thabo Mofutsanyana)
- Thekolohelong Old Age Home – Maluti-A-Phofung (Thabo Mofutsanyana)
- Senorita Nthlabathi District Hospital – Mantsopa (Thabo Mofutsanyana)
- Nketoana District Hospital – Nketoana (Thabo Mofutsanyana)
- Phumelela District Hospital – Phumelela (Thabo Mofutsanyana)

Vaccines are an important part of stopping the spread of COVID-19. Vaccines reduce the risk of getting a disease by working with your body to build protection. 

Need more information on vaccines? Read our COVID-19 Vaccine Information booklet here.

Visit the UFS COVID-19 webpage for updated information. 


News Archive

UFS to monitor the use of ARV-drugs on pregnant women and children
2004-12-08

The University of the Free State (UFS) is to establish a Pharmacovigilance Centre that will monitor the effects of Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs on HIV positive pregnant women and children starting early in the new year.

The UFS is one of only two institutions chosen by the Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, to establish such an ARV monitoring centre.

The other centre will be based at Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA) and will concentrate mainly on monitoring the effects of the drugs on adults.

“The establishment of the UFS’s Pharmaconvigilance Centre forms part of government’s Comprehensive Plan on HIV and AIDS, often termed the roll-out plan for ARV drugs. The centre’s primary responsibility will be to specifically monitor the use of these drugs in pregnant women, and children under the age of 13,” said Prof Andrew Walubo of the UFS’s Department of Pharmacology.

“Although most of the side effects of ARV drugs have been identified in other countries, it has now become critical to identify the side effects amongst the South African population. This is important because many people will be exposed to the drugs within a short time. Our aim is so identify the most common side effects and make recommendations for the prevention thereof. The centre will help in detecting the risk of using anti-retroviral drugs in pregnancy and children, and prevention of adverse drug reactions,” said Prof Walubo.

According to Prof Walubo 12 drugs will be monitored – these drugs will be selected according to the patient’s profile.

The centre will comprise of two components: A pregnancy registry, which will focus on a new-born child up until two months and a pediatric registry, which will focus on children who are born of mothers who used ARV drugs and children using ARV drugs.

According to Prof Walubo, the Pharmaconvigilance Centre will also be responsible for offering relevant technical advice, training and selected research on ARV drugs in these patients.

The centre will be fully sponsored by the national Department of Health. It will be based in the UFS’s Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, and will be run in collaboration with experts from different departments in the faculty.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
8 December 2004

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