Co-Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19, Professor Salim Abdool-Karim, says vaccine recipients must continue to wear masks because it is crucial to stop the spread of coronavirus.
South Africa’s vaccination programme against the coronavirus is under way with the first phase targeting frontline healthcare workers.
Taking the vaccine was quick, easy and not so painful. I urge all our healthcare workers to register to receive their vaccinations as they are our first line of defence against the coronavirus pandemic. #WeChooseVacciNation #VaccineforSouthAfrica ?? pic.twitter.com/11tyl1f9Xs
— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) February 17, 2021
Karim has warned that it is not known whether a person who has been vaccinated could still be infectious.
“Because we don’t know yet whether a person who has been vaccinated gets infected and whether that person can then transmit the virus, we recommend that all vaccinated people continue to wear masks. Also, we are seeing the emergence of new variants of the virus, which may be able to escape the vaccine immunity. So, to protect the vaccine we also for that reason recommend that all vaccinated people wear a mask.”
Eighty thousand doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine arrived in the country last night, with more expected to arrive in the coming weeks. It has proven to be effective against the new variant that emerged in the country.
SA vaccine rollout begins
South Africa’s COVID-19 inoculation programme officially kicked off in the Western Cape earlier Wednesday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize were among healthcare workers that were among the first to be vaccinated at Khayelitsha District Hospital.
The first four workers who received the injections were Azoliswa Gidi-Dyosi, a sister in the labour ward, EM physician, Dr Sa’ad Lahri, member of the housekeeping team, Mavuyo Mpambani and admin clerk, Cwengisa Dadirai.
Healthcare workers receive vaccination:
