Cape Town - The Western Cape is seeing a gradual and weekly decline in vaccine uptake, hampering its aim to administer 200 000 doses each week.
“We are in that period now where the uptake is starting to decline and it's exactly the period where we need the uptake to increase. There’s a general fatigue of uptake in terms of people coming for vaccinations and it is something that is seen across the country,” said Health Department head, Dr Keith Cloete.
An average of 52 new Covid-19 cases, 50 hospital admissions, and two deaths, are reported each day.
The province held its weekly digital press conference yesterday to provide an update on the health platform and vaccination programme, with Premier Alan Winde, Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo, and Dr Cloete.
Around 3.7 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the province.
Winde said the provincial government had signed a government-to-government agreement with the United States, which would see the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) support the provincial Health Department in its response to HIV, Tuberculosis, and Covid-19.
The R10 million partnership will run for the next five years.
1/2 I am at the District Six Community Day Centre in Cape Town today, where the USA through @USAID_SAfrica and the @WesternCapeGov will enter into a historic Government-to-Government (G2G) agreement to implement initiatives specifically focused on managing HIV, TB, and COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/fiE5s6Y6Ez
I welcome the G2G agreement between the USA & the @WesternCapeGov which will assist us in saving many lives in the WC. Ensuring the best possible healthcare to our people remains a top priority for my government, especially as we respond to the major challenges of HIV, TB & C-19. pic.twitter.com/hZd0U9yBsc
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) November 9, 2021
Mbombo said healthcare workers would now be able to get booster doses.
The Sisonke 2 programme, as a Phase 3b implementation study, is expected to commence today. Healthcare workers who were vaccinated as part of Sisonke 1 (between February 17 and May 16) will be eligible to participate in Sisonke 2 and will be offered a J&J booster dose. Booster shots for immuno-compromised individuals are expected to be ready after a week or two.