Citizens aged 60 and older, who have not received their first or second dose of the Covid-19 vaccination, are encouraged to do so as the country enters its second phase of vaccinations.
MEC for Health, Nomagugu Simelane, said as a result of their positive response in phase 1 of the vaccinations, the province of KZN is doing well and receiving accolades for its successful vaccination campaign which is aimed to save lives and keep the people safe from the deadly pandemic.
MEC Simelane said the province has inoculated more than 181 948 people aged 60 and over, from the 108 vaccination sites that have been established by the department throughout the province and the department will be increasing the number of sites as more doses become available.
“This is in addition to the 120 589 healthcare workers that we have vaccinated with just 41 553 remaining, since the programme was first launched in February 2021. Getting vaccinated against Covid-19 is safe and extremely important as it helps our bodies develop immunity to the virus without us having to get ill,” she added.
She urged family members, especially the youth, to assist the elderly to register. In partnership with the business sector, the government has also announced several incentives for the over-60s who will get vaccinated in November.
On Friday, 29 October, Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, said various businesses have donated incentives that will be generally split between general members of the public and healthcare workers.
Some of the incentives were sponsored R500 vouchers donated by the Nando’s group which were going to be awarded to healthcare workers on Monday, 1 November, Uber vouchers of a R100 trip for health workers to pop-up at vaccination sites and Vooma vaccination vouchers which are part of a pilot scheme which will be given to the over-60s who get vaccinated in the month of November.
“These will be sent via SMS to the cell number used to register for the vaccine. They will serve as an incentive to encourage older people to get vaccinated before the fourth wave, which is expected early in 2022. The vouchers will allow the people to shop at any Shoprite, Checkers and Usave stores and will be given on a first-come-first-serve basis. The Vooma vouchers were sponsored by Allan Gray, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, DG Murray trust, the Elma Vaccines and Immunisation Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation,” Dr Phaahla added.
CEO of the DG Murray Trust, Dr David Harrison, said: “While the vaccination itself is free, people still have to get there, and even paying a taxi fare may mean the family goes hungrier that day, however, the initiative is not without risk.”
He said others may criticise the ethics of rewarding those who have not ‘done the right thing’, but: “Our moral myopia should not obscure the fact that many of the 150 000 people aged 60 and older who died of Covid-19 were caregivers of young children or the main contributors to household income. It seems churlish to wrangle over the ethics of a R100 grocery voucher if it’s incentivising power prevents serious illness and death,” Harrison concluded.
