Government had set itself a cautious goal of reaching at least 12 million people for vaccination by December, but at over 10.5 million vaccinations before the end of August they now are likely to surpass the target. Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane Zulu, third left, Premier Sihle Zikalala and other officials at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital. Picture: Doctor Ngcobo/African News Agency(ANA)
DURBAN - As the Health Department moves to boost Covid-19 vaccinations, it is likely that it will surpass its initial target of vaccinating at least 12 million people by December.
The national Department of Health has moved to increase the number of people being vaccinated by opening the roll-out to the 18-34 cohort earlier than scheduled, offering drive-through vaccinations and providing free transport to people aged 50 and older to get to and from vaccination sites.
However, the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department has raised concern about people becoming lax regarding non-pharmaceutical measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, such as the wearing of masks, washing of hands with soap and water or hand sanitiser and practising physical distancing.
KZN is now among the top three provinces contributing to increased daily Covid-19 statistics.
The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Sunday had recorded 10 748 new cases of Covid-19 in South Africa.
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said she was concerned about Covid-19 fatigue and warned that, in the face of rising new infections, citizens of this province could ill-afford to be complacent.
“When Covid-19 was still new, everywhere you went, hand sanitiser was everywhere, and everyone was using it. But now, it appears that we’ve let our guard down. We really need to go back to that vigilance of old. When we have meetings, let us adhere to the stipulated regulations.”
“Scientists have told us that the Delta virus is a lot more infectious. That is manifesting in the high rate of infections among young people and at schools. We are seeing a lot of people dying. It’s something that we all should be worried about.
“Let us not fool each other by pretending that Covid-19 doesn’t kill. It is here, and it is deadly. Let us look after ourselves, and follow all non-pharmaceutical measures, and not wait until we need to go to hospital.”
THE MERCURY
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