DURBAN: KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has confirmed there are enough vaccines in the province.
On Sunday, Simelane dismissed claims the province was experiencing a vaccine shortage.
"We do not have a challenge of access of vaccines in the province. We have more than enough in our facilities. We have more than enough in the whole province and this includes rural areas. We are calling on people to come and get vaccinated," she said.
Simelane further provided clarity on the claims 29 people had died after being vaccinated.
The MEC said a report provided by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority confirmed the cause of death was not due to the vaccine.
"When the report initially came out, it made some people worried and, as a result, the numbers of vaccinations decreased," Simelane said.
She said her department was working on several strategies to increase the number of people receiving their vaccines, among them drive-thru facilities in some areas.
Simelane said that was to mitigate concerns expressed by the community that they would be infected while queuing at vaccination sites.
She said the department has also embarked on a programme using influencers who had been vaccinated and then told the community about their experiences.
Another programme launched by the department sees various communities leaders being vaccinated at sites across the province and, in turn, encouraging residents of those communities to get vaccinated.
The province is vaccinating about 30 000 people a day but in order to reach its target of 7.2 million vaccinations by March 31, 2022, it would have to vaccinate 60 000 people a day.
IOL