CAPE TOWN -There are still over three million people in the Western Cape who have not yet had their vaccines.
This was revealed during the latest Covid-19 update for the province on Thursday.
As at Wednesday, the total number of individuals vaccinated was 1 685 629 equal to 33.87 % of people in the province. The number of those unvaccinated stands at 3 294 177.
In a study of healthcare workers, officials found in the unvaccinated group the risk of death was 1 in 480, while the risk of death in the vaccinated group was 1 in 1490.
Chief of Operations for the Western Cape Department of Health, Dr Saadiq Kariem said: “The risk of death is 3.3 times higher in unvaccinated healthcare workers versus vaccinated healthcare workers. For us that’s a very powerful message in terms of the effectiveness of the vaccine.”
To further illustrate the effectiveness of vaccines, the department also used comprehensive data of cases diagnosed with Covid-19 in those over 60 years during the week of August 14 to August 20, when the Western Cape was in its peak of the third wave.
This age group was the first to receive the vaccinations and presents the highest number of people fully vaccinated. In this cohort, 270 619 people, or 38%, out of a population of 720 000, were fully vaccinated during this time.
The analysis, led by Professor Mary-Ann Davies, director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research at UCT and Public Health Medicine Specialist at the Western Cape Department of Health, showed 2 455 people contracted Covid-19 of which 2 245 (92%) were not vaccinated.
A further, 729 people over the age of 60 were hospitalised but 699 (96%) were not vaccinated.
Only 4% of those vaccinated require hospitalisation, the department said.
Kariem added that case numbers continued on the downward trend.
“The proportion positive has decreased to 21%. We are currently seeing an average of 1 505 new diagnoses each day,” he said.
However, he added that the province would only have exited the third wave, once the daily case load reached 530 cases a day.
As at 1pm on Thursday, there were 22 559 active Covid-19 cases in the province.
“If you are unsure about whether you should get vaccinated, consult your local doctor or healthcare worker and ask questions. We understand there are some understandable concerns, but the emerging local (and international) data presents very clear evidence that the vaccine will offer you excellent protection against severe Covid-19 disease and will save lives,” the department advised.
Cape Times