All provinces say they’re ready for Monday’s Phase 2 vaccine rollout

Provinces have six days to prepare for the second phase of the Covid-19 vaccination programme rollout as concerns abound that a third wave of infections is already in motion in pockets of the country.

VACCINE REGISTRATION
Government calls on citizens 60 years and older to register for their COVID-19 vaccination.
You can now register on the COVID Whatsapp number by sending “REGISTER” to 0600123456.
You can also register by SMS by dialing *134*832*your ID number#. pic.twitter.com/e6hc6YZRQl

— Department of Agriculture, Land Ref and Rural Dev (@DALRRDgov_ZA) May 10, 2021

Western Cape

The Western Cape is the first to officially announce its readiness with the launch of an awareness drive. The campaign is for eligible people to register for the Covid-19 vaccine. The provincial government plans to vaccinate just more than 5 million people.

Western Cape health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo says the province is ready to begin vaccinations for the elderly next week.

“The vaccination programme is countrywide and we understand that other provinces will also commence on 17 May. As the Western Cape government, we are doing whatever we can to ensure that as many people register for the vaccine and then get the vaccine so that we can finally defeat Covid-19. That is why I am urging all stakeholders to help spread the vaccine registration message.” Mbombo said

Also Read: ‘Current vaccination pace, it will take over 10 years for SA to reach herd immunity’

Gauteng

Gauteng health department spokesperson Kwara Kekana says the province is still wrapping up phase 1 of its vaccine roll out and expects to begin phase 2 next week.

“The roll out will begin with people over the age of 60 years, followed by people aged 40 to 59 and also people in congregate settings,” Kekana said.

“Our community healthcare workers will ensure they have a database of people who will need to be vaccinated at home and mobile teams will be sent to those people. So far, 94,612 public and private sector healthcare workers have been vaccinated.”

Limpopo

In Limpopo, health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba will today launch the Covid-19 vaccination programme of traditional health practitioners ahead of the start of its Phase 2 roll out.

Also Read: Daily Covid-19 update: India variant has been now detected in SA

Ramathuba’s spokesperson Thilivhali Muavha says Phase 1 in the province was completed last week for private and public sector healthcare workers. This included healthcare facility staff with high exposure such as security guards.

Muavha said the first phase of the provincial roll out went relatively smoothly but there were some logistical hiccups in distributing vaccines to various districts.

“One of the problems we experienced in the remote areas was a lack of network coverage because the process requires you to be connected to the internet so we had to improvise.”

Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba’s strategy involved ensuring the number of vaccines sent to each site matched the exact number of registered vaccine recipients. This was to avoid doses wastage, says Muavha.

Also Read: Ramaphosa’s vaccine manufacturing plans not really feasible

Going into the next phase in Limpopo will present unique challenges for Limpopo which is populated by impoverished communities in far flung areas. The provincial health department plans to combat this by training and recruiting community-based caregivers and healthcare workers to distribute the vaccines at designated sites. It is not clear if this plan includes home vaccinations for disabled or otherwise immobile residents.

On Monday, Ramathuba convened a meeting with traditional leaders to ensure community buy in and to assist with her education and awareness drive.

“As we anticipate the third wave of Covid-19, we continue to urge our people not to drop their guard. Covid-19 is still with us. Continue to wear your mask, wash your hands with soap or use alcohol based sanitiser, keep your social distance and avoid crowded areas” Ramathuba said.

Last week, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed the first cases of the highly infectious Indian variant of Covid-19. Two cases were from Gauteng and two from KwaZulu-Natal.

KwaZulu-Natal

KZN health department spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa said registration for phase 2 began on 16 April for the commencement of vaccinations on 17 May. The department roped in community health workers to support the elderly with registration and will also be using its Sukuma Sakhe community structures to support registration.

Also Read: Two patients die in Limpopo hospital Covid-19 ward fire

Other departments have also chipped in to support the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) process using personnel including agricultural extension officers and traditional leaders.

“School health teams are visiting schools teaching the teachers so they can teach the school children about registration on EVDS. A senior citizen group has been engaged to mobilise the elderly to register.”

People can register manually or through the internet using any device such as a cellphone, laptop, tablet or desktop computer. If citizens wish to register online, they can do so on vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za or visit the South African government website. For people who cannot register online, they can use the manual system by filling in a registration form obtainable from health facilities and South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) sites.

Simnikiweh@citizen.co.za