‘No need to panic’– Gauteng health department on long queues for vaccination
Gauteng MEC for Health Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi said the demand to be vaccinated has grown in the province resulting in long queues.
Gauteng MEC for Health Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi speaks during a press conference, 25 January 2021, during a visit to the Nasrec Field Hospital for Covid-19. The Nasrec Field Hospital will be able to cope with the surge of Covid-19-infected patients as hospitals have been burdened with the number of admissions during the second wave. Picture: Michel Bega
Gauteng MEC for health Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi has reassured the province’s healthcare workers that none of them will be left behind in the national vaccination program.
Mokgethi said the demand to be vaccinated has grown in the province.
“Resulting in some of them flooding to Steve Biko Academic Hospital on Sunday out of fear that the vaccine might run out before they get their jabs.
“We want to reassure our healthcare workers that there is no need for panic as none of them will be left behind.”
She said the implementation of the program is happening through phases which have started at Steve Biko and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital to both private and public frontline workers.
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The Gauteng province has received 16,800 Johnson & Johnson doses, 11,080 at Chris Hani and 5,720 at Steve Biko hospital.
By Saturday, 20 February 2,134 healthcare workers had been vaccinated in the province. The second phase of the vaccination will focus on essential workers, people over the age of 60, persons in congregate settings and persons over 18 years old with co-morbidities.
The health department announced on Sunday that one-third of the first 80 000 vaccines will be allocated to the private sector over the next 14 days.
“All health care workers irrespective of where they work need to be vaccinated. This is critical and is aligned with the national prioritization framework for phase 1 of the national vaccine roll-out programme,” the department said.
The rollout in the private sector has already commenced on 20 February and has vaccinated 3,000 healthcare workers.
The health department has commended the collaboration between all parties and the patience from healthcare workers as they roll out the large scale programme.
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“The confidence by healthcare workers in the vaccine and the protection it offers is evident in the queues and higher than planned demand from doctors and nurses across the country.”
(Compiled by Sandisiwe Mbhele)
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