South African local authorities on July 6 announced that Cape Town International Convention Center, a leading convention center in Africa, will serve as a mass COVID-19 vaccination center from July 7 and will be one of the largest and most sophisticated vaccination sites in the country.

The vaccination center will administer 750,000 vaccinations between July and December and play a critical role in the provincial and national vaccination program, said a joint statement released by the governments of Western Cape Province and Cape Town, and Discovery Health, the partner in the operation.

More than 4,000 people can be vaccinated per day when the vaccination center, which is called as "center of hope" by the governments, reaches its full operational capacity, with 50 vaccination stations to be operational at the site. It will have sophisticated cold-chain refrigeration.

Facilities and intructions with different languages have been set up in the center and staff members are preparing for the opening, Xinhua witnessed during a visit to the center on the afternoon of July 6. A person who expected to receive the vaccine came the center one day earlier and was informed by the security to came on the next day.

All eligible residents whether they have a medical aid or not will be assisted at this site, said Premier of the Western Cape Alan Winde in the statement.

The success of the COVID-19 vaccination drive relies on a joint effort between all stakeholders, including government, the private sector, and our residents, said Cape Town's mayor Dan Plato, who also encouraged residents to receive the vaccine "as soon as possible."

The latest figures showed the Western Cape registered a total number of 336,409 COVID-19 cases, with 12,653 deaths and 299,747 recoveries. Among its over 7 million population, 461,233 people have been vaccinated.