VACCINATION DIARY
Day Seven: Tito Mboweni vaccinated, Dis-Chem opens another five mass vaccination sites
On Day Seven of Phase Two of the vaccine roll-out, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni received his first Covid-19 vaccine dose in Limpopo. Meanwhile, Dis-Chem opened another five mass vaccination sites and another public site opened in Mangaung.
As of Monday, 171,860 people had received their first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. This is up 4,542 from the previous day
In Limpopo, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Dr CN Phatudi Hospital. The province’s Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, administered the vaccine.
Limpopo’s Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba administers a dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni at the Dr CN Phathudi Hospital on 25 May 2021. (Photo: Limpopo Department of Health)
In Gauteng, Dis-Chem said the first week of the roll-out was a good learning experience ahead of the opening of its mass vaccination sites. It administered about 3,800 doses in the first week, according to the company’s national clinic manager, Lizette Kruger.
On Tuesday, Dis-Chem opened five mass vaccination sites which are able to administer up to 700 doses a day. These are in malls in Gauteng and do not yet accept walk-ins.
The company hopes to have a system “up and running” by Thursday to manage walk-ins, Kruger said.
More sites will be added next week — two in the Western Cape, one in the Eastern Cape, two in KwaZulu-Natal and one in the Free State.
Dis-Chem and other private facilities are not vaccinating those who are not on medical aid, Kruger said. This is because it has “not been established” if the state will pay the R70 administration fee for a person without medical aid being vaccinated at a private facility. Kruger said medical aids had agreed to pay the R70 for their members.
In KwaZulu-Natal, a total of 102,325 people have been vaccinated since 17 May. On Monday, 24 May 18,863 people in the province were vaccinated.
The Western Cape has zero-rated access to the electronic vaccination data system while using the province’s wi-fi hotspots. Each resident receives 3GB of free data per month per device to use at any of the province’s 1,078 wi-fi hotspots. The province hopes this will help reduce barriers to registration.
Meanwhile, Free State vaccinated 28,212 people between 17 and 24 May. So far, 66,273 people in the province have registered to be vaccinated. A second vaccination site was opened in Mangaung on Tuesday at the Universitas Academic Hospital. DM/MC
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