Children between the ages of 12 of 18 are now not only eligible to receive a single dose of a Covid-19 vaccine but can also get the vaccine with or without the consent of their parents.
However, after a week of teenage vaccinations and discussions concerning what would happen if a parent should object, it has become clear that a child trying to arrange their own vaccination will possibly find it impossible.
Independent providers have said that they would be reluctant to provide a vaccination to an unaccompanied child, when the possibility exists that an angry anti-vax parent could nit-pick about the process and procedure followed to test whether the child had properly consented. Nobody want to be the test case that faces a damages claim or complaint before a professional body.
This is not the major hurdle children face when trying to get the vaccine, the major hurdle they face is that the government won’t help them get one.
As in the case of adults, children need to be registered on the EVDS in order to receive a vaccine, to confirm their identity they require “South African ID cards, birth certificate with registration number, foreign passport or any verifiable asylum/refugee proof of identity bearing the name of the child”.
For the largest section of this age group, that will mean they need a birth certificate and that is most likely with their parents.
“There is no way you are going to have a child walk into the office and a [home affairs official] says ‘I can help you with that ja” one specialist provider of help obtaining government paperwork told Business Insider South Africa.
It is unclear if a child can even theoretically obtain a copy of their own birth certificate as the department of home affairs refused to answer questions on this issue and referred all questions to the department of health instead.
But those who deal with home affairs offices every day say that, much like nurses and doctors, an official who helps a child circumvent the wishes of a parent could get in trouble. Those who refuse to do anything at all face no repercussions.
Sources: Business Insider
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