Health responds to reports on vaccination and women’s health
24 January 2022
The Department of Health has noted with concern the public statements made by individuals and stakeholders including the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) which issued a media statement on 17 January 2022, titled “Warning Against Imposing Mandatory Covid-19 Vaccination on Employees and Students”.
The Department respects the freedom of expression by any individual or organisation as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic. However, we believe such freedom should be exercised responsibly to impart information or ideas to empower our people to make well informed health choices during these difficult times.
It is of concern that the statement released by the CGE on menstrual irregularities associated with COVID-19 vaccines appears to have been done without consultation with any of expert institutions. The statement has not considered all available evidence and the substantial benefit associated with vaccinating women of reproductive age and pregnant women. The Department is in agreement and support the statement released yesterday by various organizations in the Health sector, including the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) in disputing the facts as presented by the CGE.
COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against severe illness, and immunising women of reproductive age is important as both South African and global data have clearly shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy significantly worsens obstetric and neonatal outcomes, making it imperative that vaccination programmes target young women before and during pregnancy.