We have vaccinated 5,214 healthcare workers - Gauteng health MEC

Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi says Bara did not get an indication of how many people would be coming for vaccination over the weekend.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura has warned that a third COVID-19 wave was still a possibility and the vaccine rollout programme had to be done with urgency, especially with winter coming soon.

The province has more than 401,000 COVID-19 cases and 9,481 people died of the virus.

The vaccine rollout programme started last week with the Johnson & Johnson jabs as part of a research programme among healthcare workers.

The aim is to inoculate 10.4 million people this year as part of the country's plan to immunise 67% of the population.

Makhura said so far, 5,000 healthcare workers had received their jabs in the province.

Gauteng Health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi sheds more light on this.

We have vaccinated 5,214 healthcare workers, both from the public and private sectors including GPs in Gauteng.

Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, Gauteng Health MEC

Why did Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital not vaccinate on Sunday?

They didn't plan to vaccinate on Sunday. Remember you need to make preparations and then people need to register on our electronic system. When you apply it gives you an option to choose which site you want to go and vaccinate at. When they checked on Friday they did not have that and Steve Biko Academic Hospital

Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, Gauteng Health MEC

When they checked by Friday they did not have that and Steve Biko Academic Hospital did have quite a number of people that had applied to vaccinate over the weekend. As I am speaking to you now Bara has moved quite a lot and they have caught up with what they could not do over the weekend.

Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, Gauteng Health MEC

Before you can vaccine you need to apply and must receive a voucher that says you must go and apply on this site. before you go they need to know the number of people that they will be vaccinating per day. Bara did not get an indication of how many people would be coming to do the vaccination over the weekend.

Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, Gauteng Health MEC

The weekend was set aside for the GPs and the private sector.

Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, Gauteng Health MEC

Why were they not able to redirect people at an overcrowded Steve Biko Hospital to Bara, which was standing empty and idle?

At Steve Biko there we people from such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and other provinces. In Tshwane, we have about 200 GPs but people who came to Steve Biko Hospital on Saturday were way above the 200. We also made provisions for those from the private sector who are not doctors to come.

Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, Gauteng Health MEC

This a Medical Research Council process and they are the ones who are managing the registration system. They are the ones that are issuing vouchers. We are not controlling the system.

Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, Gauteng Health MEC

Listen below for the full interview...

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