By Kaya 959 Reporter
Gauteng Premier David Makhura is urging people to return for their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Makhura said people are pitching up to get the first dose of the Pfizer dose but not coming back.
He fears Gauteng may fail to reach its vaccination target.
“From a population immunity point of view, reaching 70% is still the ideal thing to do. I wouldn’t want to change the target. But I can see the rate at which we are vaccinating, we will not reach that target by mid-December,” he says.
According to the premier, the only reason is that people are not returning for their second doses.
“This is a matter of great concern. We went through a terrible third wave. It was ravaging. We still have 2000 in hospitals in Gauteng.
“They have stayed longer so there are not many hospital admissions. There is a difference that the vaccination programme is making,” Makhura says.
He adds that he is concerned that the municipal election on 1 November could be a super spreader event.
COVID-19 cases rise
South Africa’s COVID-19 cases have increased by 520 to 2 918 366, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
The NICD says 81 deaths were reported.
The majority of new cases are from KwaZulu-Natal (19%), followed by Western Cape (17%).
Gauteng Province and Northern Cape each accounted for 14%; Free State accounted for 13%; North West accounted for 8%; Eastern Cape accounted for 7%; Mpumalanga accounted for 6%; and Limpopo accounted for 2%.
More than 39, 000 children, aged 12-17, have registered for the COVID-19 vaccine. Registration opened on Monday. Gauteng currently has the highest number of registrations for the age group.
Children can register for the vaccination on the Electronic Vaccination Data System.
Premier @David_Makhura oversees the vaccination of Cristopher van der Wath (17) and his sister Danel (15) at the newly opened Greenspark Clinic in Fochville. Their mother is also present during the vaccination #IChooseVaccination #VaccinesSavesLives pic.twitter.com/8dIsCSHhg0
— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) October 20, 2021
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