Youth continue to boost vaccine drive in SA
This week, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged the youth to debug ‘far-fetched conspiracy theories’ surrounding the vaccine by using social media to spread correct information.
Despite South Africa reaching the 80 000 Covid-19 death toll this week, the country’s vaccination rollout continues to make good strides.
As of August 26, South Africa recorded 1 121 488 new vaccinations since Sunday, August 22, bringing the total to 11 648 851.
On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed his weekly letter to the youth of South Africa and said he wasn’t surprised to see them taking to the task of being vaccinated with such determination.
“The young people of our country are giving us all hope that an end to this time of hardship is within our sights. As I watched young people being interviewed while queueing at vaccination centres I was impressed by their enthusiasm and excitement. Most of all I was impressed by their knowledge about the vaccine, how it can protect, and why it is necessary,” he said.
Ramphosa called on the youth to vaccinate so the country can reach its goal of vaccinating the population, labelling them as ‘brave and forthright’ in the fight against Covid-19.
“Since the start of the pandemic 17 months ago, young South Africans have been an integral part of the national effort to battle Covid-19. We have seen the youth step up to keep themselves and others safe. We have seen youth formations and community organisations, young leaders, influencers and content creators using their platforms to share public health messages with their peers. He also urged the youth to debug ‘far-fetched conspiracy theories’ surrounding the vaccine by using social media to spread correct information.
“Young people have always been the drivers of progress, innovation and change. We would like to see young people becoming walking adverts for the vaccination process. We appeal to young people to post pictures of themselves getting vaccinated. These vaccines are safe. They work. They don’t affect anybody’s performance in any way. Most importantly, they save lives.”
This week, the country recorded a cumulative 54 748 new Covid-19 cases. Wednesday (August 25) saw the biggest increase of the week, with 13 251 new cases recorded, while 7 632 cases were recorded on Monday (August 23).
The country breached 80 000 deaths on Wednesday, with 516 new deaths recorded, 1 575 new deaths were recorded this week.
As of August 26, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases was 2 734 973, an increase of 12 771 new cases from the previous day. There were 357 new deaths, bringing the total deaths to 80 826, with the number of recoveries standing at 2 485 108. A total of 11 648 851 vaccines have now been administered.
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