Multiple age groups now being eligible for vaccination, and the impact of the taxi violence are among the issues which have caused delays at vaccination sites.
And despite many people having been booked out of area, “thankfully, our residents are able to vaccinate closer to home”, said provincial health department spokesperson, Natalie Watlington.
While there had been delays at the Dominican Grimely vaccination site, the provincial health department said they had not received any complaints.
The department said the fact that many over-60s were now returning for their second dose of the vaccination had put additional pressure on the sites.
“People over 60 years and people with appointments will be prioritised at our sites and therefore our other walk-in clients are not guaranteed a vaccination as this is influenced by the available stock on hand at each site,” Ms Watlington said.
She added that the recent public transport problems and taxi violence had impacted health services.
“Staff arrival times and their ability to travel to work are severely impacted. Despite this, we have ensured that services continue, even when faced with reduced staff as a result of the disruption in public transport,” Ms Watlington said.
This has also impacted on transport services arranged for the residents of Imizamo Yethu, particularly to the vaccination site.
“Since residents have feared for their safety, transport collection points have had to change thus delaying the vaccination process of patients at the site,” she said.
Walk-ins at each of the site will be prioritised as follows:
- Priority 1: 60 years and older requiring first dose
- Priority 2: 60 years and older requiring second dose
- Priority 3: 50-59 requiring first dose
- Priority 4: 35 – 49 requiring first dose
The latest figures suggest the country has largely passed the third wave of Covid-19 infections with the past 28 days of restrictions having helped to reduce cases.
And as the country averages around 12 000 new cases each day, the Western Cape became the third province to pass the one million mark in Covid-19 vaccinations.
