Business for South Africa (B4SA) has welcomed the announcement by acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane that more than one-million people in the 35- to 49-year-old age group have registered for vaccination in the first 24 hours of being eligible to do so.
While unrest is impacting on the vaccination programme in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal at the moment, with many vaccination sites having been temporarily closed and some damaged, the vaccination campaign is continuing unimpacted in other provinces.
B4SA is concerned about the low rates of vaccination in KwaZulu-Natal and the impact that the unrest is having on the overall healthcare system in the province – including testing capability, the availability of critical medical services and medication, and healthcare workers’ ability to travel to and from work.
The organisation warns that members of the public must only buy medication from registered and accredited pharmacies or medical facilities, and only receive vaccines from registered sites, since vaccines, and other medications, stolen in recent weeks will not have been properly stored and dispensed.
B4SA says it is working with government to resolve challenges as best it can, including by escorting vehicles carrying critical oxygen supplies, arranging protection for medical and pharmaceutical warehouses, monitoring vaccination sites, and supporting the Independent Pharmacy Emergency Fund to assist independently-owned pharmacies that have been looted.
While the daily vaccination number dropped to between 137 000 and 146 000 earlier in the week of July 16, the vaccination programme was back up to 172 466 later in the week.
B4SA is confident that this number can pick up to 200 000 soon, and further to 300 000, as envisioned by the President.