President Cyril Ramaphosa set a target to get 70% of the country’s adults vaccinated by the end of 2021 but by that time only 39% of adults had been. Why?
Anti-vaxxers are fighting for special privilege on the basis of poor science and want the privilege associated with the coronavirus vaccine without having to vaccinate, says Charles Webster.
At the start of the pandemic, governments used sweeping lockdowns and curfews to try to contain the virus. But in the past year, most countries began refining their strategies, rolling out digital passes allowing people to show they are vaccinated.
There were high hopes just a few months ago that 70% of the population would be vaccinated by Christmas but in spite of a healthy supply of doses, people just didn't show up in their numbers to take them.
As millions of South Africans celebrate Christmas, some families grappled with difficult decisions when it came to vaccinations.
Eyewitness News spoke to some people who have cancelled their traditional family gatherings with others uninviting friends and relatives because they refuse to get a COVID-19 jab.
Conversations with ordinary South Africans of all ages reveal a widespread distrust in the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines and the real need for accurate information.
At this stage, children will only be allowed to get one shot of the Pfizer vaccine but this could change once further research determines whether a second dose is safe for this cohort.
Epidemics do not require the total eradication of the disease to end.
Esther Kgomo, who retired as a healthworker 10 years ago, has encouraged more people to think about getting vaccinated, saying it would benefit the economy and the education sector. #COVID19NEWS #VACCINES
More than 16 million vaccine doses have already been administered in South Africa.
Vaccine hesitancy and its impact are a reality in South Africa and across the world, but Magdalene Mashigo, a fully vaccinated 80-year-old from Pretoria, said people should not fear getting the COVID-19 jab. #COVID19vaccine
The healthcare and financial services giant recently announced its plan to make coronavirus vaccination mandatory for staff beginning from next year.
Officils gave insights into the hospitalisations and deaths of people over 60 years at the height of the third wave last month.
The Health Department said government was exploring different ways of ramping up its vaccination drive.
Deputy President David Mabuza raised his concerns about the slow uptake of vaccinations during an oversight visit in Mogale City on Gauteng’s West Rand on Thursday.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has so far investigated 29 deaths that occurred shortly after people received a COVID-19 vaccine shot. Following rigorous investigations SAHPRA has been unable to link any of these deaths to the vaccines.
Many of the men that Gauteng Transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo spoke to on Thursday relied on misinformation when refusing the jab, citing unfounded fears of impotency, while one taxi driver said he was afraid of mixing his traditional medication with the vaccine.
