Joahnnesburg – After being named first runner-up at the 2020 Miss South Africa pageant, Thato Mosehle is returning to her hometown in the North West to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
Mosehle became the first person under the official Miss SA Organisation banner to compete on the Miss Supranational stage.
It also marked the first time the Rainbow Nation was represented by a woman of colour at the pageant.
Since her return, she has been operating as a front line worker during the pandemic and just last month she completed her medical internship and is now a qualified community service doctor.
She says everyone has experienced the devastating effects of Covid-19, and the only solutions available for now to combat the virus are vaccinations, wearing masks, washing hands, sanitising and social distancing.
“Normally our cells are open, so when we’re affected with coronavirus, the virus attaches itself on to the cells and uses the spikes around it to inject the infectious substances that are called RNA protein into the cells.
“Once the cells are infected, they infect other cells. But we also have T-cells, which are immune fighter cells that fight the virus, but they get confused along the way and end up killing both the virus and our infected cells,” says Mosehle.
In the process of fighting the infection, the “immune soldiers” also get infected, she explains.
Mosehle says when we are vaccinated, our cells build up spikes against the coronavirus, which prevents the virus from attaching itself to our cells and injecting the infectious substance into our cells.
“This means that the virus becomes vulnerable in our bodies and it’s easier for the immune soldiers to get rid of them.
“When you’re vaccinated, the chances of you getting sick and ending up in the hospital or passing away are slim,” she says.
Mosehle encourages everyone to “vaccinate and save your life and the lives of those you love”.
She’s also just launched her weekly #ChooseDay Talks with Dr Thato – an online show to share her medical knowledge.
She will release a new episode on a different topic every Tuesday on Instagram IGTV: on official_misssa as well as on thato_mosehle.
The Star