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COVID-19 vaccinations open to people over the age of 18

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

Researchers receive study grant for research into Congo Fever

2015-03-10

UFS researchers will be contributing significantly to the search for a vaccine against the deadly tick-borne disease known as Congo Fever.

Prof Felicity Burt from the Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology was recently awarded a research grant by the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) to study candidate vaccines for Crimean-Congo heamorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus and other arboviruses.

Arboviruses are viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, or other arthropods.

Prof Burt is an internationally-recognised expert on the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF). The Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus is a tick-borne virus that is associated with severe haemorrhagic disease in South Africa and other parts of Africa, Asia, and eastern Europe. Her interests focus on medically significant viruses that are transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes. Her research group is involved in determining the immune responses that are induced by different viral proteins.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, a tick- borne virus found in Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and eastern Europe, causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks.

Although a number of tick species are capable of becoming infected with CCHF virus, ticks of the genus Hyalomma, commonly referred to in SA as the “bont-legged ticks”, are the principal vector. The ticks have distinctive brown and white bands on their legs.

In February 1981, the first case of CCHF was recognised in South Africa (SA). To date, there have been nearly 200 cases of CCHF infection in SA with a 20% fatality rate. The majority of cases occurring in SA were in patients from the Northern Cape and Free State provinces.

“The funding that has been awarded will be used to profile immune responses against CCHF viral proteins, and investigate mechanisms and strategies to enhance these immune responses. We hope that the study will contribute knowledge towards the development of a vaccine against this medically significant virus.”

For more information or enquiries contact news@ufs.ac.za.

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