Private vax sites open to provide easy access

GEORGE NEWS - Several private sector Covid-19 vaccination sites are opening up in George as part of efforts to increase accessibility to the public in the light of the increase in vaccine supplies from national government.

In addition to Mediclinic Geneva (Varing Avenue), that has been the only private vaccination site up till now, the other private sites now open are Pick n Pay Pharmacy (Pick n Pay Centre, Knysna Road), Clicks Pharmacy Garden Route Mall, Clicks Pharmacy CBD (Market Street), Clicks Pharmacy Pick n Pay Centre (Knysna Road), Medirite Pharmacy at Checkers Hyper (Eden Meander Lifestyle Centre) and Medirite Pharmacy at Checkers St George's Square (Knysna Road).

The vaccination tempo in the Garden Route has been increasing in recent weeks.

As at 16 August, 110 302 people in the Garden Route have received at least one dose and 34 084 a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, according to district health spokesperson Nadia Ferreira.

She said for this current week, the district has received 25 658 Pfizer and 4 896 Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines. "We have received a larger supply of vaccines for the coming week. We find that some sites have a lower uptake than others and we encourage everyone who is eligible to come for their vaccine. We will assist you with registration at the site," said Ferreira.

According to Ferreira, people who have received a Pfizer jab cannot take the J&J vaccine as a follow-up dose.

Demand creation a challenge

Western Cape Head of Health Dr Keith Cloete said in a digital conference last week that the single biggest challenge in getting as many people as possible vaccinated is to "create demand".

To this end, many more people should spread the pro-vaccine message, misinformation should be neutralised and the focus should remain getting the most vulnerable groups (those older than 50) vaccinated. "It has to be a whole of society effort and people should all become vaccine ambassadors," he said.

A total of 1 495 010 vaccine doses had been administered in the province by Monday 16 August.

The target for this current week is to administer 180 000 doses and from next week 200 000 doses and above per week. Mass sites, work sites and pop-ups are to be increased to provide easy access, said Cloete.

This graphs shows the increase in the number of vaccines administered in the Western Cape. The Health Department's target is to vaccinate 200 000 people and more per week.