BY STAFF REPORTER
Nkangala: Following the announcement of the ‘Vooma Vaccination Weekends’ by President Cyril Ramaphosa, aiming to encourage the public to vaccinate against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Mpumalanga Provincial Government, together with the Health Department and other stakeholders, have in the recent past unleashed Covid-19 Vaccination Campaigns across the province.
The campaign are conducted in a bid to slow down the Covid-19 infection rate during the Festive Season. Led by Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, the campaigns started at various overcrowding points including taxi ranks, malls, hospitals, public places and resident’s households. The drive saw Mtshweni-Tsipane kick-starting the campaigns at EL-Shadai in Arckerville, eMalahleni Local Municipality to encourage people to vaccinate against the pandemic. During the programme, the premier interacted with the public to outline the importance of taking the vaccine during the fourth wave, amid the Covid-19 Omicron variant. Furthermore, Mtshweni-Tsipane, together with the Department of Health, have recently embarked on a Vooma Vaccination Weekend Campaign at Perdekop, near Volkrust at Dr. Pixley Isaka Seme Local Municipality. The vaccination team was led by the Amajuba Memorial Hospital CEO, Makhosonke Mkhaliphi, were 221 people were vaccinated by the team at at Perdekop Town, Siyazenzela Location Ward 6, and Amajuba Mall and Volkrust.
Briefing, the vaccination team, Mkhaliphi said the programme was in line with President Ramaphosa’s call for all eligible South Africans to get vaccinated in order to protect themselves, their families, and their communities before a possible fourth wave of Covid-19. He said that the National Department of Health has identified priority districts and sub-districts in the province based on the number of unvaccinated people and the vaccination coverage to date. “In Mpumalanga Province, all three districts have been identified as having low uptake on vaccination and require attention. However, the Gert Sibande District and Mkhondo Sub-District have been identified as having a very low vaccine uptake compared to the other districts in the province,” he said. The team also visited the identified households to vaccinated residents, whereby, they also grouped and inoculated community members who voluntary came to do so, with elderly citizens coming forth to take their jabs.
The Vooma Vaccination Weekend continued in Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality, with councillors, led by the Acting Executive Mayor Phumzile Mnguni, conducting a door-to-door programme to encouraging the citizens to vaccinate against the pandemic. The door-to-door campaigns were conducted in Siyabuswa, which according to the local municipality, seems to be a useful tactic as many people warmly welcome the health workers and opted to get vaccinated. In the Victor Khanye Local Municipality, MEC for Education in Mpumalanga, Bonakele Majuba, accompanied by the Executive Mayor, KV Buda and the Speaker Henry Ngoma, led the vaccination team to the households. The entourage visited Khehla’s place and the Botleng Clinic to urge the community members, especially the children and elderly to vaccinate.
During the campaign, Assistant Manager in the Health Department’s Primary Health Care in the Victor Khanye Sub-District, Delisile Mathebula, reported that the area had 15 patients. Mathebula indicated that they have not yet experienced a high volume of positive confirmed cases. “We are proceeding with the door to door vaccination and the teams are continuing to vaccinate in all the four fixed facilities and strategic areas such as shopping centres, mines and factories within the sub-district,” she said.
According to the Provincial Government, Premier Mtshweni-Tsipane has currently deployed all the members of the executive council including executive mayors in the Nkangala District Municipality, to lead the campaigns and encourage citizens to vaccinate against Covid-19.
