By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Health minister Dr Joe Phaahla says the country is unlikely to avert a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, a higher vaccination rate over the next month could substantially reduce its impact.
This is especially likely if coverage among people aged 50 and older could be accelerated, he said. To date, over 80% of confirmed Covid-19 deaths have been in this age group.
“Three out of five people aged 50 and older have now had at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
“If we can get close to five out of five people in this age group vaccinated by the end of the year, we will crush the power of the fourth wave by substantially reducing the number of hospital admissions and deaths.”
NICD reports 245 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2,924,317. This increase represents a 0.9% positivity rate.
NICD said a further 35 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 89,387 to date.
Phaahla said vaccination sites will be open across the country during the upcoming Vooma weekend (12 – 14 November), and the goal is to ensure at least 95% capacity on Saturday. While fewer sites will open on Sunday, the focus will be on outreach to large faith congregations willing to be vaccinated on that day.
In the first Vooma Vaccination Weekend, over 1,000 frontline health workers and health service managers received certificates of appreciation signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, and district management teams will nominate sub-district vaccination and outreach teams for recognition in the coming Vooma Weekend.
“As we prepare to express our appreciation to health professionals who have worked tirelessly to vaccinate South Africans, we would also like to thank almost 16 million South Africans who have vaccinated to date. Your efforts will ensure that we break the power of this deadly pandemic and speed up the process of saving lives and livelihoods,” said Phaahla.
Phaahla requested the media to support this effort by publicising the Vooma Vaccination Weekend activities, and giving recognition to the extraordinary efforts of all health workers involved in the Covid-19 response, whether in health care facilities or vaccination sites.
The lists of open sites (by province) will be available on www.sacoronavirus.co.za from Tuesday, 9 November 2021.