Statement by the Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien

Health officials are working hard to ensure that everything possible is done to suppress the impact of a potential fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.

This includes ongoing education, awareness and outreach programmes to dispel vaccination myths, but also availing more pop up and mobile vaccination sites to ensure equitable access to vaccines.

An analysis of the third wave found that the risk of death was lower for those who were vaccinated. This is further supported by the hospital admissions data where the older age groups had proportionally fewer admissions, especially in the private sector where vaccine coverage was higher.

This suggests that vaccination mitigated the risk of severe disease (and hence admission) in the older age groups.

The best protection against a fourth wave that could overwhelm health services and result in excess mortality is to ensure that those who are 50 and older, with comorbidities, are fully vaccinated.

As at 18 October 2021, 33% of all eligible persons in the metropole have been fully vaccinated.

The target is to have 85% of persons 50 and older vaccinated by December, which translates to just under 11 000 vaccinations in this age group per day.

Our vaccination drive needs to be flexible, if we are to achieve our target of administering as many doses as possible before the peak festive season.

While there are many fixed vaccination sites across the metropole, we understand that access for some remains a real challenge.

We have already seen very positive results from our mobile vaccination vans, and so we are building on this concept, and taking the vaccines to communities where the rate of registration and vaccination remains low.

Vaccine hesitancy plays a role in why people are not getting the vaccine, and work continues to try and change hearts and minds, but we also know that for many people, it’s simply a case of not being able to get to a vaccination site.

We are also renewing our call to high risk individuals – particularly those with chronic conditions and pregnant women – to get vaccinated if they have not already done so.

The vaccine is safe for people with high blood pressure and diabetes, and the vaccination will provide protection from severe Covid-19 symptoms, should you contract it.

Covid-19 is more dangerous in pregnant women, especially towards the end of pregnancy, and particularly for women who have comorbidities.

If you have questions about the vaccine, please ask your health professional for advice so that you may make an informed choice for your own health, but also that of your unborn child.

While the focus is on the vaccination drive, it is also critical that everyone continues to adhere to Covid-19 health and safety protocols. Our Environmental Health Practitioners report increased non-compliance with mask wearing and social distancing in some communities, which is a real concern.

We are however very satisfied with the rate of compliance at businesses, restaurants and schools, among others.

In the past week, our Environmental Health Practitioners conducted 896 compliance visits to premises around the metropole, with a 97% compliance rate.

Source: City Of Cape Town