EC reaches new vaccination milestone

The Eastern Cape ’ s vaccination rollout programme continues to grow as the province reaches a new milestone.

The provincial health department says just over two million people have been inoculated, with 1,738,492 having been fully inoculated.

Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth said that as of November 28, a total of 2,945,421 vaccines had been administered.

Meth said the two million milestone was great news as the province had set its sights on vaccinating 4.099-million people by the end of the current financial year.

“We are happy that the people of the Eastern Cape have embraced the vaccination programme and continue coming forward for the jab.

“Having more than two million vaccinated people bodes well for the health and safety of the people of the Eastern Cape, because vaccinated people are less likely to be hospitalised should they contract Covid-19.

“We have vaccinated about 47% of our eligible population,” Meth said.

She urged people who were yet to roll up their sleeves to come forward, especially men whom, she said accounted for 39.63% of the vaccinated population, compared with 60.37% of women.

Meth called on people to continue adhering to non-pharmaceutical safety measures as active cases continued rising.

She added that with the Omicron new variant spreading faster in the country, it was important to adhere to regulations to ensure the curve was flattened.

“If we all play our part by getting vaccinated and wearing masks, practising social distancing and sanitising or washing our hands regularly, we will beat this virus.

“Let’s all choose life because the vaccine is life-saving. When we get the jab, we are not only protecting ourselves but our loved ones and communities as well. It is in our hands.”

The Eastern Cape has recorded 10 new cases in the past 24hour reporting cycle. There were no reported deaths or hospitalisations.

Meth said cumulatively, 293,174 cases had been reported while 15,200 people had died from Covid-19 complications since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

“One death is one too many as we need everyone so we can continue building better communities together. May the dearly departed rest in peace.

“We are confident that the 109 people hospitalised in both public and private hospitals will soon recover and be discharged because we have a 94.8% recovery rate, all thanks to our healthcare workers who have been absolutely great from day one when we had the first confirmed case in March last year.”

Let’s all choose life because the vaccine is life-saving. When we get the jab, we are also protecting our loved ones