Cape Town – “There isn’t anything to fear, I chose to be vaccinated because I don’t want to contribute to the spread of Covid-19. If you get the vaccine, you are minimising the danger to yourself and others.”
This was stated by Margaret Elizabeth Smith, 99, affectionately known as “Peggy”, on Wednesday after she and Mogamat Pandy, 81, became two of the oldest ambassadors for phase two of the Covid-19 vaccinations being rolled out across the Cape Town metro and nationally.
Born on February 13, 1922, Smith, who resides in Claremont, was extremely grateful for close friends who assisted in transporting her to the Brooklyn Chest Hospital Vaccination Site. Smith strongly encourages all Western Cape residents to get vaccinated.
Pandy, from Lansdowne, was strongly motivated by being able to travel and received his Pfizer at the Mitchells Plain Hospital’s vaccination site at the Lentegeur Main Hall.
“I chose to take the vaccine because I want to travel again. I travel every year and because of Covid-19, I had to stay indoors for almost two years,” says Mogamat, with excitement and hope.
“I encourage other elderly people to take the vaccine, it is not painful and don’t be scared.”
Registering to receive the vaccine is easy, says the Western Cape Health Department. It encourages all caregivers and family members of people 60 years and older to register their loved ones on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS).
You can register at no cost by using the USSD service. Dial *134*832# from your phone to start the registration process OR send the word “REGISTER” to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp OR visit http://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za. You can also access the link on www.westerncape.gov.za
The public are urged to only visit vaccination facilities once their appointments have been confirmed.
IOL