Durban: South Africans appear to have taken heed of President Cyril Ramphosa’s call to vaccinate, as over 100 000 people in South Africa received the Covid-19 jab on Monday.
According to the national health department a total of 110 656 were fully vaccinated in the past 24 hours.
In an address to the nation on Sunday night, Ramaphosa urged South Africans to get vaccinated amid a looming fourth wave and the discovery of the new Omicron variant.
“The first, the most powerful, tool we have is vaccination. Since the first Covid-19 vaccines became available late last year, we have seen how vaccines have dramatically reduced severe illness, hospitalisation and death in South Africa and across the world. Vaccines do work. Vaccines are saving lives,” the president said.
Since then a total of 69 860 received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 35 619 people received the single dose Johnson & Johnson. Over 30 000 of these vaccines were administered in Gauteng province, which has seen the biggest spike in infections.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported that Covid-19 cases, including that of the new Omicron variant, were highest in Gauteng, and in particular Tshwane.
People in KZN also appear to have heeded the call to vaccinate with 11 379 taking the jab. The province has been slow in its uptake of vaccination upto now, with five million people out of 7,2 million in the province being unvaccinated.
According to the national health department a total of 110 656 were fully vaccinated in the past 24 hours.
To date the country has administered 24,5 million vaccines. Over 14,2 million people have been fully inoculated against Covid-19.
IOL