Gauteng launches mobile vaccine drive in country’s Covid-19 epicentre

05 July 2021 - 06:38 By gill gifford
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
The Gauteng government said on Sunday a Covid-19 mobile vaccine drive will be launched this week.
The Gauteng government said on Sunday a Covid-19 mobile vaccine drive will be launched this week.
Image: BreadCrumbs Linguistics

As the third wave of infections hits Gauteng hard, the provincial government has announced a Covid-19 mobile vaccine drive will be launched this week.

The project aims to get as many people over the age of 50 vaccinated as soon as possible. The drive will kick off in Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Johannesburg this week and will be  carried out with the aid of civil society partners.

Mobile units will be stationed at different sites to enable people who are eligible to be vaccinated near their homes and places of work. Those who have registered and walk-ins who qualify will be helped.

Gauteng is currently the country’s epicentre of the pandemic.

On Saturday night, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said 26,485 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in the preceding 24 hours - 16,102 of them in Gauteng. There are more than 98,000 active cases in Gauteng, with the number rising rapidly.

This more than four times higher than the second-worst hit province, the Western Cape,  which had 21,359 active cases according to Saturday’s statistics.

The police service will start its vaccination rollout programme on Monday.

Acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, police minister Bheki Cele and national police commissioner Gen Khehla Sithole will lead the launch and form part of the first group of officers and police personnel to be vaccinated at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.

The police service plans to vaccinate more than 180,000 employees.

Those wanting to register for the vaccine can do so here

TimesLIVE


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now