Mpumalanga health MEC Sasekani Manzini says the province will need only 21 days to vaccinate 67% people for the COVID-19 when the jab arrives.
Speaking at the launch of the electronic vaccination system, in Verena near KwaMhlanga on Thursday, Manzini said the province doing well in terms of managing the pandemic as it has only 795 active cases.
She said the second phase of the vaccine registration, which is targeting people over 60, was well underway and her department has also dispatched health workers to vaccinate them in their homes.
“We are here to launch the electronic vaccination system for old people from the age of 60 upwards for the second phase of the vaccination program. As the province we are targeting 67% of the population and when the Pfizer vaccine arrives we need only about 21 days and we will be done.
In the whole province we have about 300 000 old people who are going to be visited by our health care workers in different places, at homes, public spaces and those who didn’t register we will not turn them away when the time comes.” said Manzini. Verena, which is under the Thembisile Hani local municipality, has only seven active cases of the virus while the province stands at 765.
“At the beginning of this year we had our numbers increasing in the province, but now the nunbers have dropped. Talking about the third wave, if we can adhere to the protocols we will not have a problem on increasing numbers.” said Manzini.
Old people flocked to the Verena Community Hall hoping to register for their shots saying they have been waiting for a long time.
“When they called us here I was happy because we are going to register to vaccine for COVID to not kill us. But we have waited for a long time and we were scared,” said 78-year-old Jim Masilela. Hendrick Skhosana told SowetanLIVE that those who are scared of the vaccine must know that either way they will die.
“I’m happy to be part of this program. I’m going vaccinate myself to not get sick from this coronavirus which is killing our people. I’m not scared myself, those who are scared thinking that they will give us poison must know that either way they are going to die,” said Skhosana.
We'll vaccinate 67% of population in 21 days - Mpumalanga Health MEC Sasekani Manzini
Mpumalanga health MEC Sasekani Manzini says the province will need only 21 days to vaccinate 67% people for the COVID-19 when the jab arrives.
Speaking at the launch of the electronic vaccination system, in Verena near KwaMhlanga on Thursday, Manzini said the province doing well in terms of managing the pandemic as it has only 795 active cases.
She said the second phase of the vaccine registration, which is targeting people over 60, was well underway and her department has also dispatched health workers to vaccinate them in their homes.
“We are here to launch the electronic vaccination system for old people from the age of 60 upwards for the second phase of the vaccination program. As the province we are targeting 67% of the population and when the Pfizer vaccine arrives we need only about 21 days and we will be done.
In the whole province we have about 300 000 old people who are going to be visited by our health care workers in different places, at homes, public spaces and those who didn’t register we will not turn them away when the time comes.” said Manzini. Verena, which is under the Thembisile Hani local municipality, has only seven active cases of the virus while the province stands at 765.
“At the beginning of this year we had our numbers increasing in the province, but now the nunbers have dropped. Talking about the third wave, if we can adhere to the protocols we will not have a problem on increasing numbers.” said Manzini.
Old people flocked to the Verena Community Hall hoping to register for their shots saying they have been waiting for a long time.
“When they called us here I was happy because we are going to register to vaccine for COVID to not kill us. But we have waited for a long time and we were scared,” said 78-year-old Jim Masilela. Hendrick Skhosana told SowetanLIVE that those who are scared of the vaccine must know that either way they will die.
“I’m happy to be part of this program. I’m going vaccinate myself to not get sick from this coronavirus which is killing our people. I’m not scared myself, those who are scared thinking that they will give us poison must know that either way they are going to die,” said Skhosana.