Vaccine roll-out prioritises the elderly
SO FAR, about 1.2 million people, aged 60 and older, have registered for Phase 2 of the Covid-19 vaccination programme which started on Monday.
During Phase 2, which is expected to run until October 31, the elderly living in old-age homes are prioritised for vaccination. South Africans began Phase 2 with the two-shot Pfizer vaccine.
The Department of Health is expecting to vaccinate 7 700 residents in 102 old-age homes by the end of the week and 50 000 by the end of May. The programme is expected to reach 5 million people by the end of June.
Dr Zweli Mkhize, the Minister of Health, said officials from the department would go out to rural areas and other communities to reach out to the elderly. Once the elderly are vaccinated, other high-risk groups will be targeted, such as those with comorbidities. The department aims to vaccinate 16.6 million people in Phase 2.
There are currently 87 vaccination sites in South Africa, 83 in the public sector and four in the private sector.
Fathima Khan, the manager of the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre, in Durban, said 30 of their elderly residents received the first shot of the vaccine on Monday. The first person to be vaccinated was a 70-year-old with no pre-existing conditions.
Khan said consent was obtained from families before any doses were administered and that the most elderly from the home were prioritised.
“It is, however, based on their assessment. We need to determine if their bodies are able to handle the vaccination as some of our residents are on strong chronic medication.”
Khan said some of the residents looked forward to being vaccinated, while others felt nervous.
She said all the residents were expected to receive the vaccine during the roll-out.
“We had excellent service from the Department of Health, eThekwini and the Verulam clinic. In total, we have about 15 department staff helping. We have not had any major glitches and the elderly who were vaccinated are doing well.”
She said the vaccines were being staggered to prevent a negative reaction. The next dose would be administered after 21 days.
Naren Pattundeen, the chief executive of the Aryan Benevolent Home (ABH), said 70 residents at their facility in Chatsworth were vaccinated on Monday. Another 70 were expected to be vaccinated yesterday.
“It is going extremely well. We started with those who are not bedridden. In about two weeks, we expect to vaccinate the entire 400 of our residents.”
Pattundeen said all senior staff were trained to ensure an efficient roll-out was achieved.
“We have a team of about 10 and
we are receiving the vaccine through RK Khan Hospital. So far, everything has been well organised by the Department of Health. We thank community workers and doctors who are also assisting in this regard.”
Femada Shamam, the chief executive of The Association for the Aged (Tafta), said 76% of their elderly and 58 caregivers were registered for vaccination.
She said some residents were concerned about the vaccine’s interaction with their chronic medication and others remained fearful of the side-effects.
While Phase 2 has been rolled out, Phase 1B, that also started this week, seeks to vaccinate the remaining 750 000 health-care workers. Phase 1A, which formed part of the Sisonke Study, ended on May 15. It covered about 500 000 health-care workers. The 975 780 doses of the Pfizer (vaccine) is expected to be used in these phases.
Mkhize said that by the end of June, they expected to have 4.5 million doses of Pfizer and 2 million doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccines.
He said as part of the vaccination process, individuals needed to take proof of ID, such as an ID card or book, driving licence or passport. “People who belong to a medical aid scheme should also take their medical aid card or other details. If you miss your vaccine appointment for any reason, you will be rescheduled, that is given another date and time to be vaccinated.”
Ways to register on Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) which are free of charge:
Online at www.vaccine.enroll.gov.za By using the whatsapp line 0600 123456 3 or by SMS *134*832# The Covid-19 hotline 0800 029 999 The new QR code (available on DoH website). Simply scan and follow the prompts.
“Citizens living in old-age homes will not receive an SMS because the vaccines will be brought to them. They will be registered and vaccinated in their homes.”
Mkhize said people were not allowed to choose which vaccine they wanted.
“When you get vaccinated, you will be informed which vaccine you are getting, and if a second dose is needed.”