- The Covid-19 vaccination centre at Athlone Stadium is closing.
- This follows the closure of the CTICC site amid declining vaccine demand.
- The Athlone site has administered vaccines to almost 60 000 people.
The Athlone Vaccination Centre of Hope at Athlone Stadium is closing and is the second mass Covid-19 vaccination site to be closed in the province amid dwindling vaccine demand.
The walk-through section will administer jabs at its 40 vaccination booths until Wednesday, 15 December, and the drive-through section will close on Friday, 21 January.
Since the sited was officially opened on 17 August 2021, almost 60 000 people have been vaccinated there. Around 30 000 of those received jabs at the walk-through section, according to the Western Cape health department.
More than four million doses have been administered in the province to 2 594 304 people (52% of the adult population).
As of Sunday, 71% of those older than 60 had received at least one vaccine dose, with 62% of those aged 40 to 59 vaccinated with at least one jab.
Fatima Peters, site manager at the Athlone Vaccination Centre of Hope said:
The drive-through section has accommodated cyclists, a horse and cart, trucks filled with construction workers, taxis, and multiple families, the department said in a statement.
The closure comes as the demand for vaccinations declines across the country.
In the Western Cape, the vaccination rollout peaked in August, with more than 275 000 vaccines administered in one week. Last week, 98 780 doses were administered. There were 125 590 in the first week of December.
News24 previously reported that with reduced demand for vaccination, the province would rationalise its vaccine sites.
The Cape Town Convention Centre (CTICC) vaccination site, for example, ceased operating at the start of December.
The health department said the Athlone site was being closed in stages as vaccines were being made available to communities through pop-up vaccination sites in residential areas and street-based clients, home vaccinations to bedridden clients, as well as Sassa paypoints, shopping malls and centres.
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