Home News Northern Cape gearing up for roll-out of Covid vaccine, says Saul

Northern Cape gearing up for roll-out of Covid vaccine, says Saul

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The Province has “already put in place a vaccine strategy that will be rolled out in a phased approach”

Premier Zamani Saul. Picture: Soraya Crowie

NORTHERN Cape Premier Dr Zamani Saul, who leads the Provincial Command Council, has welcomed the upcoming roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Saul said vaccines are an important part of stopping the spread of the coronavirus and that the Province is gearing up for the roll-out once vaccines become available.

“Vaccines offer protection to an individual, by reducing a person’s risk of infection or the severity of their symptoms, and also at a population level. This population-level protection is often referred to as herd immunity and happens when enough people have developed an immune response, in the form of antibodies and killer cells, to fight off the virus so that there is a low risk of the virus continuing to spread within that community. This immunity can be developed either through receiving a vaccine or by previously having been infected,” said Saul in a statement on Monday following a meeting of the Provincial Command Council.

He said the provincial Department of Health will work in partnership with government on educating communities on the benefits of the vaccine.

Saul said the Province has a vaccine strategy in place.

“The national Health Department will co-ordinate the vaccine roll-out with the provincial Health departments and the private health care sector. Structures will need to be established at a district level by the provincial Health Department to manage the mass roll-out.

“The vaccine will be given out in three phases, beginning with front-line health care workers, followed by other essential workers and high-risk groups before trying to reach the wider population. Distribution of doses will become less targeted as more vaccines become available.

“The Province is gearing up for the vaccine roll-out once it becomes available and has already put in place a vaccine strategy that will be rolled out in a phased approach,” said Saul.

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