More than 100 workers at the Dora Nginza Hospital in Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, have been vaccinated this past week.
According to them, getting this kind of protection against COVID-19 is making the pressure to serve on the front line a lot easier. The message is simple: no more deaths.
COVID-19 has already claimed the lives of 304 healthcare workers in the Eastern Cape. The jab could not have come at a better time for Sister Phumeza Ngaleka. She was hit by the virus last year and hospitalised for 21 days.
Ngaleka says it is something she never wants to live through again or wish on anyone. She believes the vaccine will save lives.
“To me, it means the deaths are not going to be more now, it going to stop the deaths, no more dying days that is what it means to me because it has caused a lot of trouble, we lost a lot of people our loved ones,” says Ngaleka.
Health workers inoculated in Gqeberha:
COVID-19 survivor and nurse Phumeza Ngalek says this vaccine will save many lives.
“To me, it means the deaths are not going to be more now. It’s going to stop the deaths. No more dying days that is what it means to me because it has caused a lot of trouble. We lost a lot of people; our loved ones.”
Vaccinator Juanita Malgas says, “We started on Monday at the hospital with our vaccine and we had until today with people coming in for the vaccines. They are happy, it’s a voluntary thing so I think they are happy to receive a vaccine to leave a normal life.”.
The rollout of the vaccine in the Eastern Cape is proceeding smoothly, administered by six hospitals.
“As the management of Dora Nginza, we are extremely grateful that we can be part of this early access through Sisonke program, during the first second wave. We had a high number of healthcare workers tested positive. We had 13 workers lost their lives. We can at least give some protection to our healthcare workers,” says Dr Jaline Kotze, Clinical Governance Manager.
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