Media Release: Update on the coronavirus and vaccines by Premier Alan Winde

7 June 2021

As at 1pm on 7 June 2021, the Western Cape had 5256 active COVID-19 infections, with a total number of 297 121 COVID-19 cases to date and 279 985 recoveries. 

By 5pm on 4 June 2021, the Western Cape Government had administered:

The Western Cape has recorded 35 additional deaths since our last daily update on Friday, 4 May, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 11 880. It should be noted that the total number is inclusive of historical deaths which have only recently been updated. We send our condolences to the loved ones of those who have passed.

Additional data is available on the Western Cape COVID-19 data dashboard which also features active cases per sub-district, active cases per 100 000 and 7-day moving averages. To view the Dashboard, visit:  https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-dashboard  

You can also view the Western Cape Government’s vaccine registration dashboard by visiting: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/vaccine-dashboard

Premier Winde visits vaccine site at the New Apostolic Church in Heideveld

Today, I had the pleasure of visiting the New Apostolic Church in Heideveld which is doubling up as a vaccination site.

During the site visit, I had the opportunity to meet with and thank the healthcare workers present and engage with residents who are receiving the vaccine. I also met with the vaccine site management to hear how the vaccine rollout process unfolding.

Previously, the site had operated from a nearby sports field but have since moved into the church to ensure better protection for the elderly and frail during the colder and wetter months.

The Heideveld vaccine site began servicing members of Heideveld, Manenberg, Tambo Square, Surrey Estate, Gugulethu, Rylands, and Vanguard Estate on 17 May 2021.

On any given day, the site sees between 200 to 300 residents come through their doors and has a maximum capacity of 300 persons per day.

Across the province and to date, we have vaccinated 110 069 residents as part of phase 1b and 2 and opened sites in every district of the Western Cape. 

Last week, we exceeded our target of vaccinating 60 000 residents, by vaccinating a total of 66 827. This means that we have exceeded our target of 100 000 first dose Pfizer vaccinations over the first three weeks.

This has also included over 20 000 residents who live in old age homes and frail care facilities and staff, who are extremely vulnerable during a third wave.

The scale-up of vaccines in this way has been necessary because we only receive vaccine supplies on a weekly basis, and because we still have not received the large trance of vaccines from Johnson & Johnson.

To be responsible, we are linking our vaccination programme to the number of available vaccines so that we avoid a very disruptive and disappointing stop/start programme in our province.

This week, we have set ourselves a target of vaccinating 70 000 residents with their first Pfizer dose, as we received less vaccines that was needed to scale up to 120 000 this week. This is mainly because of the delay in the release of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (globally), of which we expected to get over 200 000 doses.

We have nevertheless put all the systems in place to scale up to 120 000 a week once we receive the adequate supply to do so.

When speaking with the site managers, they asked that I make a call to those who are eligible to receive their vaccines to please bring their IDs with them on the day of their vaccines. This will ensure that you do not miss your appointment.

The site managers also explained that while they do take walk-ins, they encourage everyone to register on the Electronic Vaccine Data System or EVDS and to wait for their appointment.

There has been a low number of registrations in the Heideveld area and surrounding communities and I want to remind residents that it is also important to register as this helps us to determine the demand for vaccines and prepare our sites accordingly.

If you are not yet eligible to get your vaccination, please help register someone who is. We are all in this together, and every life matters.

To register, you can dial *134*832# from your phone to start the registration process or send the word “REGISTER” to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp. You can also visit http://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za, which is accessible from www.westerncape.gov.za.  

Issued by Western Cape Office of the Premier, 7 June 2021