Getting Covid jab is a national service

No doubt the anti-vaxxers will be up in arms about the decision of the South African Health Products Authority (Sahpra) to approve “the experimental” Pfizer Covid vaccine for use by children aged 12 and older.

They will cry about young people being used for “human experiments”, Nazi death camp style, all the while ignoring the evidence that the delta variant of the coronavirus is not only the most infectious to date, it is also affecting younger people more.

Our health authorities have confirmed that the trends were seen overseas – where children are being admitted to hospitals and dying from Covid complications in greater numbers than seen in the past – are manifesting here too.

Acting director-general in the national health department Dr Nicholas Crisp has warned that with the fourth wave of infections is expected to arrive around the end of the year, it is critical that children be protected.

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The best way of doing that is to get as many adults vaccinated as possible … but vaccine hesitance and sheer bloody-mindedness among anti-vaxxers are slowing down the national roll-out of jabs.

It is probable that, while the Pfizer jabs have been approved for 12 to 18-year-olds, the expected roll-out to this group will be brought forward – at least if the example of other age groups in the roll-out is repeated, where turnout was lower than expected.

We welcome any measures to accelerate the vaccination programme, from companies insisting that employees be vaccinated (as Discovery Health has done) to the setting up of pleasant, entertaining vaccinations sites (as the Medicare group has been doing).

We would also go further to suggest that having the jab is not merely a logical act of self-protection (your
chances of being hospitalised or dying are much lower if you are vaccinated) it is a national duty to help save
our country.