Healthcare workers in KwaZulu-Natal will start getting COVID-19 vaccinations in two weeks’ time. The national government is expected to send the province’s share of the AstraZeneca vaccine on the 14th of February. This was announced by Premier Sihle Zikalala at a media briefing in Durban.
Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are set to get the first dose of the vaccine.
Over 160 000 healthcare workers, both in the public and private sector and traditional healers, are eligible to be vaccinated in the first phase.
Zikalala says the provincial government has set up a vaccine coordinating committee that will oversee the implementation of the vaccination plan.
“As KZN, we have developed our own vaccination plan based on guidelines set by the World Health Organisation and the national Department of Health. The province has established a vaccine coordination committee which includes private sector hospitals, traditional leaders, health systems trust, organised labour, NGOs, the academic sector, the National Laboratory Health Services, civil society and the South African Military Services among others. All our districts have finalised vaccination distribution plans.”
KZN Premier gives details on the province’s vaccine roll-out plan
The provincial government says it has enough capacity and resources for the storage and the roll-out of the vaccination programme.
Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu says they have trained 2 000 nurses to compliment the nurses who normally administer vaccinations in hospitals and clinics.
“They will then be distributed directly to the provinces and to the districts. There will be vaccines that are going to be held in our provincial depot. Each and every district is also going to have its own centre, these centres are not new. Our health workers that were trained to vaccinate our young people are the ones going to continue to vaccinate ourselves and other health workers. As a province, we had to add to the number of people who are going to be responsible for vaccinating over the above nurses that are conducting that responsibility currently.”
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Mr Sihle Zikalala @sziks elaborate further on the #VaccineforSouthAfrica for the Province to @SABCNews Reporter Mr Simphiwe Makhaya @kzngov #GrowingKZNTogether pic.twitter.com/OelWflSL4J
— KZN Provincial Gov (@kzngov) February 2, 2021
Premier Zikalala @sziks : For the safety of school communities (learners, teachers and non-teaching staff) ,the Department of Education has made good progress to ensure that all the COVID-19 essentials are delivered to schools before the arrival of learners.#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/tbmbYemjsZ
— KZN Provincial Gov (@kzngov) February 2, 2021
Zikalala announced a decline in the number of new infections in the province. He says the eThekwini metro still has the highest number of new infections, followed by the King Cetshwayo district around Richards Bay.
Premier Zikalala @sziks :The vaccine will arrive in KZN around 14 February 2021. Staff in direct contact with patients will be prioritised. To date, the province has identified 91 Vaccination sites, which will include all the public hospitals and Community Health Centres (CHCs). pic.twitter.com/0LHHZzJMji
— KZN Provincial Gov (@kzngov) February 2, 2021
A total of 163 256 health personnel from various sectors in KwaZulu-Natal are eligible to receive vaccination during the first phase, as announced by the President. These include 81000 Health Care Workers in the public sector and 49000 in the private sector. pic.twitter.com/EyP4G34cBZ
— KZN Provincial Gov (@kzngov) February 2, 2021
