Rustenburg - The North West province is edging closer to its target of of inoculating 2.7 million community members against Covid-19, Health MEC Madoda Sambatha said.
"We are truly motivated by the strides made so far to administer Covid-19 vaccines to all eligible individuals. However, I would like to convey my plea to communities, especially the youth in the province, to continue to visit various vaccination sites and get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.
“The Omicron variant of Covid-19 remains dominant in the country and it accounts for 99.2% of all positive cases reported, according to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD),” he said.
The North West bridged the two million mark of vaccines administered on Sunday, which was almost a year since the roll-out of the vaccination campaign in the province.
“The North West remains one of the provinces with the lowest intake of vaccine among its communities despite more efforts being made to expand access to vaccines, with 131 active vaccination sites across the province. Alarmingly, our youth seem to be reluctant to get vaccinated and more efforts are made with targeted campaigns like #KeReady to persuade them to come on board.”
He said the province was currently experiencing a 10.5% Covid-19 infection rate, with children between the ages of 18 and 34 in the majority of these cases.
“The province is performing badly, with an average of 2 500 vaccines administered daily. Therefore intense efforts are needed to ramp up the vaccination drive,” Sambatha said.
“Currently we have administered 2 014 324 doses of vaccine and this is still a far cry to the provincial target of 2.7 million people we need to reach and protect against the possible emergence of the fifth wave of Covid-19 infections.
“Therefore through the #KeReady, I am ready campaign we wish to mobilise more youth to be empowered and educated on the importance of taking the vaccine,” he said.
The province has a total number of 192 071 confirmed Covid-19 cases reported, with 186 580 people having recovered from the virus. This translates to a 97.1% recovery rate (against the national figure of 96.8%). The province has 780 active cases and has recorded 4 711 Covid-19-related deaths to date.
“By vaccinating, you reduce your chances of getting severe Covid-19 infection, hospitalisation and dying. So, please we urge you to visit any vaccination site for your first, second or your booster shot. Covid-19 is still with us, therefore you are all urged to not lower your guard, and to continue to adhere to all Covid-19 preventative protocols,” Sambatha said.
IOL