Deputy President, David Mabuza and members of the inter-Ministerial Committee on COVID-19 are visiting Nkomazi, in Mpumalanga to monitor government’s vaccine rollout programme.
Mpumalanga is among the provinces with the lowest number of vaccinated people.
The Health Department says only 22% of Mpumalanga’s population has so far been vaccinated.
Deputy Minister of State Security, Zizi Kodwa, who is among those who are accompanying Mabuza, says they are working hard to ensure that they reach their vaccination target.
“We think we would be able to reach our set deadline and target of 60% and above of the population that would have vaccinated. We think that the improvement in some areas such as Eastern Cape that are also rural such as Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal gives us hope that we can do better in provinces such as Mpumalanga as well,” says Kodwa.
Vaccine hesitancy | Deputy President David Mabuza to lead COVID-19 vaccination drive in Nkomazi
Annual vaccinations
Earlier this month, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases said it is highly probable that the COVID-19 vaccinations could be inoculated annually just like the flu vaccine.
This is due to more and more COVID-19 strains that continue to weaken antibody reactions to vaccines, and because the immune system of those vaccinated weakens against diseases over time.
A senior medical scientist at the centre for HIV Aids and STIs virology group, Dr. Catherine Scheepers shares her thoughts on the possibility of annual vaccinations.
Possibility of annual vaccination for COVID-19: Dr Catherine Scheepers
