DURBAN - PREMIER Sihle Zikalala was delighted with the number of Covid-19 vaccinations taking place in KwaZulu-Natal.
Zikalala also called on more senior citizens to register to be vaccinated.
It was revealed that KZN was one of the leading provinces with a high number of vaccinations since the start of Phase 2 of the vaccination programme on May 17.
As of Tuesday, 163 415 senior citizens had been vaccinated and about 120 589 health workers had been vaccinated in both the public and private sectors.
There are 97 vaccination sites across the province, and sites are being added incrementally as more vaccine doses become available.
On Tuesday Zikalala, Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane and Mtubatuba mayor Thobelani Ncamphalala made an unannounced visit to the Inkosi Mzondeni Community Hall in KwaMsane, northern KZN, where the MEC spoke to senior citizens who were to be vaccinated.
Zikalala expressed his satisfaction with the way the vaccination programme was going.
“We are observing that there is a growing demand for people to be vaccinated, and the capacity we have created in the province is able to cope with the numbers. That is why we are rapidly rolling out the programme to more sites,” said Zikalala.
“We are urging young people who are techno-savvy to assist the elderly with registration. The elderly may also visit their local primary health-care clinics and ask to be assisted.”
According to the KZN Health Department, the province closed off May with 75 new Covid-19 cases, which brought the total to 339 888 cases. The province also recorded five deaths on May 31.
KZN had an average of 136 Covid-19 cases per day over the past seven days.
The province continued to rank as the second-highest in terms of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases in the country. Moreover, KZN ranked the fourth-highest in terms of Covid-19-related deaths, with a total of 10 515.
“KZN is observing a steady increase in number of cases recorded weekly, with a slight increase in the incidence risk,” the department said.
“However, the province has not crossed the alert or resurgence line yet.
Daily News