The Western Cape Government has put in place a comprehensive vaccine rollout plan to ensure that we are ready for the mass vaccination programme.

Ensuring that our vaccination sites are prepared is essential to achieving our goal of vaccinating as many people as possible in the coming months.

Across the province, vaccination sites for all phases will include:

• Small sites at public healthcare facilities with a daily output of 250 people.
• Medium sites at hospitals, community halls, and retail locations with a daily output of 500 people.
• Large sites at community halls and gyms with a daily output of 1000 people.
• Extra-large sites at large community halls with a daily output of 1500 people.
• Mass vaccination sites at large venues, with a daily output of over 2500 people.

In terms of the number of vaccine sites that we intend to bring online this year, the Metro will have:

• 19 small to large sites in the Southern/Western sub-structure;
• 11 small to large sites in the Klipfontein/Mitchell’s Plain sub-structure;
• 19 small to large sites in the Khayelitsha/Eastern sub-structure; and
• 21 small to large sites in the Northern/Tygerberg sub-structure.

Our rural areas (areas outside the Metro) will eventually have:

• 48 small to medium sites in the Overberg District;
• 41 small to medium sites in the Garden Route District;
• 53 small to medium sites in the West Coast District;
• 14 small sites in the Central Karoo District; and
• 28 small to medium sites in the Cape Winelands District.

The teams supporting these sites in all phases will include:

• Vaccinators
• EVDS administrators who will assist with data capturing
• Cleaners
• Queue marshals
• Covid-19 screening at the entrance
• Registration administrations for EVDS scheduling
• Nursing assistance for the Observation Area
• A professional nurse to monitor a designated area for adverse side-affect reactions
• Security personnel, and
• A site supervisor

The size of these teams will be determined by the size of the vaccination site.

It is important to note that the vaccination sites will not all be operational at once but will be brought online gradually as more vaccines become available.

Some sites will also be operational on a rotational basis and not each day. This will be communicated to the communities they serve.

Vaccine delivery to the Western Cape is on a weekly basis with the first 30 420 vaccines arriving this week, for the commencement of phase 2 next week.

We expect the second phase of the vaccination programme to gain momentum by the end of May, as the largest tranche of vaccines (approximately 260 000 doses from Johnson and Johnson) arrive in the Western Cape.

So, what can we expect next week in particular?

• Our key focus next week will be to use the first tranche of 33 900 vaccines available to us to vaccinate those registered in Old Age homes across the Western Cape. This will be done at Old Age Homes, on-site. Some 17 000 people living in Old Age homes have already registered and are on the database.
• We will also focus on vaccinating remaining healthcare workers using the Pfizer vaccine as part of phase 1b – as the Sisonke trial will have come to an end.
• We will also bring online an initial set of vaccination sites where a smaller number of registered residents over the age of 60 will be invited to get their vaccine. This smaller number, initially, will allow us to properly check the systems we have put in place so that we can ensure an efficient scale-up of numbers by the end of the month.

This is scale-up approach is critical so that we have an orderly, dignified process and that no person – especially someone who is in a high-risk category – has to experience poor service.

On this point, it is very important that you do not go to a vaccination site unless you have officially been invited to come for your vaccine.

So, when will you start receiving these SMSs confirming your date and vaccination site?

Because of the focus on vaccinating Old Age Homes on-site next week, and our plan to bring vaccination sites online in a gradual way, the overwhelming majority of people who have registered should start getting the SMSs in the next two to three weeks. This will coincide with the scale-up that we expect by the end of the month.

The plan remains to complete vaccinations of those 60 years and older by the end of June.

This is even more important now that the Western Cape has noted a resurgence in cases. While this is not a ‘Third Wave’ yet, it is the first sign that a surge of infections is likely in the next few weeks.

So, if you are 60 or older, or know someone who is, please register for your vaccine as soon as possible. This is now extremely urgent.

The vaccines being used in South Africa have been rigorously tested locally and internationally and offer excellent protection against serious Covid-19 illness and death.

To register, please visit www.westerncape.gov.za and click on the link.

You can also:

Dial *134*832# and follow the prompts (FREE on all South African Networks)
Whatsapp the word REGISTER to 0600 123456

If you are over 60 and registered for your COVID-19 vaccine, you can expect:

• An SMS confirming your registration.
• A second SMS later with appointment details of the date and the place.
• Get vaccinated with your first dose.
• Proof of vaccination card.
• An appointment date for your second dose.

Remember:

• On the scheduled day, take your ID and present the second SMS.
• Arrive on the scheduled day of your booking. Not on a different day.
• Walk-ins are not permitted.