Gauteng vaccinations need vigorous promotion to save lives

17 August 2021

A vigorous promotion of Covid-19 vaccinations is needed to save lives as Gauteng lags badly compared to other provinces.

According to the latest figures, Gauteng has fully vaccinated only 978 652 (8.54%) of its 11 458 026 adult population, which is lower than the 10.47% average in South Africa. Six provinces are doing better than Gauteng, with Limpopo doing best with 14.79% of adults fully vaccinated.

The Western Cape leads the way with 17.3% of adults given the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, compared to Gauteng’s Pfizer first doses of 11.8% of adults.

The slow pace of vaccinations in Gauteng is disappointing as it is the most urbanised province with the highest number of health staff and facilities.

I am very concerned that many vaccination sites are now largely empty even though vaccines are available.

Imaginative outreach efforts are needed to dramatically ramp up vaccinations in Gauteng to 100 000 a day, as opposed to about 50 000 a day to date.

Measures should include the following:

Take vaccinations to where people are, in workplaces and pension queues.

Expand weekend and drive-through sites to provide more options for people to vaccinate at their own convenience.

Run saturation media adverts  for people to “Get the jab!”, with endorsements from prominent personalities and church leaders.

The lack of a sustained media campaign is a major reason for the vaccine hesitancy that we are experiencing and needs to be fixed urgently.

It is a good idea to bring forward the date for the registration of 18 to 35 year olds, and they should be encouraged to bring older people with them who have not been vaccinated.

The Gauteng Provincial Government should partner with the best brains in the private sector to dramatically boost the vaccination rate to save lives and avoid further lockdowns that devastate the economy.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 18 August 2021