An aggressive vaccination drive needed to combat Covid-19 resurgence
26 November 2021
Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite by Siviwe Gwarube MP.
The announcement by the Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, yesterday that a new Covid-19 variant (B.1.1.529) has been detected in South Africa, underscores the need for an aggressive vaccination campaign. Ultimately, the best antidote against the resurgence of Covid-19 cases is a fully vaccinated population.
The performance of provinces with regards to the vaccination rollout is averaging between 30% - 40% of fully vaccinated adults. This is simply not good enough. There is still room for government departments to reach South Africans where they are by making vaccines easily available and effectively communicating to people about the benefits of vaccination.
The Department of Health has performed poorly in terms of an effective communication strategy for vaccinations. This has often been attributed to the lack of funds for communications when we know that over R150 million of public money was stolen during the Digital Vibes corruption scandal. The people of South Africa cannot be made to pay for the ANC’s inability to keep their hands off public money meant for services.