By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi has disclosed that 191 Pfizer vials and 498 J&J vials of Covid-19 vaccine have been wasted, which amounts to 3636 doses in total as there are 6 doses in a Pfizer vial and 5 doses in a J&J vial.
Mokgethi was replying to DA’s Jack Bloom questions for oral reply in the Gauteng Legislature today.
She said the wasted doses occurred because vials are sometimes opened and people are not available to use all the doses, and power failures led to some vials being spoiled. Some vaccines also expired.
While it is disappointing that vaccines are wasted for various reasons, the larger problem is Gauteng’s flagging vaccine programme which lags other provinces,said Bloom.
Only 29% of adults in Gauteng are fully vaccinated compared to 34% for South Africa as a whole and 40% or more in the Western Cape, Free State and Limpopo.
Mokgethi blames vaccine hesitancy on social media,the mobility of people in the province, and a shortage of the one-dose J&J vaccine where preference is given to rural provinces.
The Gauteng Health Department is now concentrating on outreach efforts, pop-up sites at work-places and gathering places, and more weekend vaccination sites.
Bloom said he agree with the approach to take vaccines to the people, but far more needs to be done to push up vaccinations before an anticipated fourth wave.
Only 3.3 million people are fully vaccinated in Gauteng, whereas the target is 10 million.
Mokgethi added that many teenagers who are now eligible for the vaccine are deferring their jabs until after examinations are over.
The priority, however, should be the 1.3 million over-50s in Gauteng who are still not vaccinated. Every effort should be made to reach them as they are the most likely to end up in hospital or die because of Covid-19 infection.