- The Eastern Cape health department has authorised its 741 clinics to administer vaccinations.
- It announced its plans to inoculate 50 000 people each day to reach a target of 4.5 million before the end of the year.
- The province has this week received 69 325 doses of the J&J vaccine and 95 790 Pfizer doses, while a further 99 450 Pfizer doses are expected to arrive on Thursday.
In an effort to ramp up its vaccination programme, the Eastern Cape government has authorised all of its 741 clinics to administer Covid-19 vaccines, as the province aims to inoculate 4.5 million people before the end of the year.
This was announced by Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth in East London on Tuesday.
Meth revealed that more than a million people had registered for the vaccine and more than 866 000 had already received the jab as of 26 July.
Meth said this feat had been achieved through the province inoculating about 30 000 people a day.
She said:
This week, the province received 69 325 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 95 790 Pfizer doses.
Meth said a further consignment of 99 450 Pfizer doses were expected to arrive in the province on Thursday.
"We have adequate stock for this week and we are expecting to get more stock on Wednesday next week," she added.
"We have ramped up our vaccination programme and we are fully rolling out [our] vaccination programme to ensure we achieve herd immunity by vaccinating at least 4.5-million of the Eastern Cape population."
She further said:
The department said health sciences students from the University of Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu University, Nelson Mandela University and Lilitha Nursing College were also being allocated to vaccination sites where they would administer the jab under strict guidance and supervision of experienced health workers.
Rhodes University is also on board with pharmacy students who will be assisting with the preparation of the vaccine and cold chain management.
The department has called on people not to act recklessly now that the country has adjusted lockdown restrictions.
There are 838 people hospitalised in the province due to Covid-19.
Of those, 753 are general admissions and 85 are fighting for their lives in ICU.
Meth said:
She warned that the threat from the virus was still real, as 254 people in the province had lost their lives to Covid-19 in the past seven days.
Meth added that the department had embarked on a massive recruitment drive in the province, with the hopes of hiring CEOs, pharmacists, dentists, and other specialists to fill critical vacancies.
"When it comes to personal protective equipment, it's availability is at 85% in the province, while it is as 90% in Nelson Mandela Metro. We continuously order PPE on a daily and weekly basis when the need arises to avoid running out of it."