Covid-19 vaccinations strengthen City Health
13 April 2021
Statement by the Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien
The City of Cape Town’s Health Department has recorded just more than 1 300 Covid-19 vaccinations of healthcare workers and support staff.
This amounts to more than 40% of eligible healthcare workers employed by the City.
The final shipment of vaccines, which forms part of the Sisonke trial, is expected to arrive this week, which will further boost this number.
The vaccination drive is critical to ensuring that our frontline workers are safe, and able to continue delivering primary and environmental health services to our communities.
They have been under immense pressure over the past year, and deserve our ongoing support and acknowledgement of the important role they play in our response to the pandemic.
We are still in the plateau of the second wave of Covid-19 infections, and there is currently no indication of a resurgence. This is aided by ongoing community vigilance and adherence to Covid-19 preventative behaviours.
However, based on experiences elsewhere, it is likely that South Africa will experience further waves of infection.
The City eagerly awaits the expansion of the vaccination campaign to the public, so that we may work towards achieving herd immunity and break the hold that Covid-19 has on us.
Until then, it is critical that we continue to observe health and safety protocols at all times.
At present, there are more than a thousand active cases in the metropole – very few compared to the peaks of the first two waves, but a reminder that the virus is still among us.
In the last week, the City’s Environmental Health Practitioners conducted compliance inspections at 528 premises – 491 were found to be compliant.
They continue to see a high rate of compliance at schools, Early Childhood Development Centres and restaurants, but at many shops, concerns remain about social distancing and sanitation.
The City reiterates its appeal to business owners and the public at large – if you are not certain about how to achieve and sustain compliance, contact your nearest Environmental Health office for assistance.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
