Vooma: Free taxi rides to Gauteng vaccination sites on Sunday

December’s Vooma Weekend is in full swing across Gauteng’s 258 pop-up sites, and free taxi rides will be offered to and from vaccination sites.

It is vital to get the jab ahead of the festive season as the spike in Covid-19 infections confirm the fourth wave’s upward curve will be steeper than the previous three waves.

Vooma Weekend vaccine campaign

The health department wishes to ensure the safety of South Africans ahead of the festive season and the fourth wave. However, many residents cannot travel to vaccination sites.

Free taxi rides to vaccination centre

Therefore, the South African Taxi Association partnered with Community Constituency Front (CCF) to offer free transport services to and from vaccination sites in Gauteng.

Citizens who wish to make use of this service should be at the pickup point – Phenduka Clinic on Madonda Street in Thokoza, Ekurhuleni – by 9:30am on Sunday, 5 December.

For assistance or additional information, contact Mathapelo Ngcukani on +2778-797-9388.

Fourth wave officially here

New cases peaked by more than 300% in the last seven days, with a positivity rate of 22% on Thursday from 1% to 2% two weeks ago.

In addition, the surge first recorded in Gauteng is now spreading to all nine provinces as numbers increase in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga.

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At the time of publishing, the Free State and Northern Cape were the only provinces still reporting low infection rates, but this would change if residents refuse to heed the vaccination call.

Omicron highly transmissible

While more data is needed, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said preliminary research shows the new Omicron variant to be highly transmissible.

Even though the variant is also infecting vaccinated individuals, patients who contracted the Omicron are experiencing mild symptoms only.

Phaahla said there is no cause of panic at this stage. The fourth wave can easily be managed “without too many casualties and loss of lives if we observe safety measures”.

The full list of vaccination sites over the weekend can be viewed on the Vooma Vaccination Weekend website.

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