B4SA’s Health Service Providers Stream represents the vaccination sites of independent and corporate pharmacies, hospitals and general practitioners. We are all health care workers.
Vaccines for COVID-19 are effective at preventing serious disease and death. They have an excellent safety profile and are proven to work in reducing hospitalisation, serious illness and death. In the US, 99.5% of all deaths are amongst those NOT vaccinated. Of all hospitalisations for COVID-19 in the US, 95% are people that have NOT been vaccinated. Here in SA, Dr Marc Mendelson, head of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital, said last week that he has not seen a single vaccinated person in the hospital’s Covid high care ward for weeks.
In South Africa, we are still battling the third wave. The devastating effects of the virus have been felt across the length and breadth of the nation. We have obeyed the calls for wearing masks, ventilation, social distancing, and sanitising hands. We have limited travel, kept our children home from school and observed the curfews. Now, we have the opportunity to add to these measures the single most important protection: to get vaccinated.
Vaccination sites across the country, in both the public and private sectors, are open and ready to vaccinate. Anyone can attend any site – you don’t have to be insured or belong to a medical scheme to visit a private site. While pre-registration on the EVDS simplifies the process for people and avoids long queues, it is not a prerequisite. If you cannot register then just arrive at the site and you will be assisted to register at the site.
Misinformation is dangerous and undermines all our efforts to control or limit the harmful, and in many cases fatal, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As health care professionals, we must do everything in our power to counter misinformation and scare-mongering with facts.
Health Care Providers chose to take the vaccine against COVID-19.
We encourage all our patients to do the same.
Don’t wait, vaccinate.