Plans under way for KZN vaccine rollout
Government has set an ambitious goal of vaccinating 67 per cent of the country's population, roughly 40 million people, this year
AS Covid-19 infections continue to rise, KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala says the province is already planning for the rollout of the anticipated Covid-19 vaccine.
Government has set an ambitious goal of vaccinating 67 per cent of the country’s population, roughly 40 million people, this year.
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The vaccine, which according to President Cyril Ramaphosa will be available by the end of January, is set to be rolled out in three phases.
The first phase will target around 1.2 million healthcare workers, the second phase essential workers, people over 60-years-old and people with comorbidities, and the third phase for the general public.
At a media briefing on Sunday, Zikalala said the provincial government is adopting a plan that will ensure that the vaccine is rolled out faster when it becomes available.
At this stage the rollout is deemed an emergency, especially in the healthcare sector which has seen
11 419 KZN healthcare workers infected with the deadly virus since March last year.
Of the total infected, 107 have died. The majority of the infected healthcare workers have been nurses (55 per cent), with doctors accounting for six per cent and the rest other categories of staff.
‘Our starting point is education and awareness, and debunking the myths that unfortunately surround the vaccine.
‘We are increasing our testing and screening capabilities. We are working on vaccination sites in all the districts of our province, ensuring they are in a good state of readiness.
‘The provincial command council will present the full plan in the coming days,’ said Zikalala.
He added despite the stricter lockdown, KZN continues to rank number one in the country in terms of the number of active coronavirus cases.
‘KZN stands at 276 794 or (21 per cent) of the country’s total number of cases.
‘We are ranked the fourth highest countrywide in terms of fatalities. In the last seven days KZN recorded
29 147 new infections.
‘The infection rate continues to increase, particularly in the eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, Uthukela Amajuba, Zululand, uMkhanyakude and uMzinyathi districts.
‘So far, 209 630 people have recovered from Covid-19 which puts our recovery rate at 76 per cent,’ said Zikalala.
As of Sunday, the King Cetshwayo district recorded 364 new infections, bringing the total number of local infections to 21 712.
