People in the Eastern Cape might have to wait more than
three months to be vaccinated.
This according to Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba during a press
briefing held in Bhisho recently.
She said a provincial task team, which will co-ordinate the
vaccination programme in the Eastern Cape, would only inspect the readiness of
all identified sites for the rolling out of vaccines at the end of April this
year.
Gomba said the province would use 1 158 sites, including
clinics and hospitals, to service 5 414 residential areas.
“That is the task that we must go to and we will be looking
at the sites by the end of April 2021 that are clearly identified. What we have
done as the department, was to have a task team led by one of the chief
directors. At the moment, we are at the stage where we are evaluating the sites
that are going to do the job, checking whether they have capacity, fridges are
there to keep the specimens,” she said.
Gomba added that the province was looking for 571 people to
employ as vaccinators when the province rolled out its plan to vaccinate 3.7
million people in the next six to nine months.
“This is to ensure successful implementation of a successful
rollout of the vaccination programme.”
Master vaccinators were currently being trained by the
national health department, added Gomba.
The province is looking to vaccinate 67% of the 6.5 million
population to attain herd immunity to defeat the virus.
Gomba, who reported to work this week after recovering from
Covid-19, revealed she was also suffering from high blood pressure. She said
this meant she was under the constant supervision of clinicians and a doctor as
it was a comorbidity.
Her advice to those who tested positive for COVID-19 was to
listen to their bodies.
“Your body tells you immediately when something is not right
and which part is not functioning fully. For me, I took a bit of time to
recover because of how it affected me, however, what I have learnt is that there
is no better way of dealing with COVID-19 than immediately seeking help. Due to support, I was treated and recovered from home. My
own family took the time to look after me. I had moral support from my family
and friends,” Gomba told reporters.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the country
would receive its first batch of one million vaccine doses from the Serum
Institute of India on Monday, February 1.
