TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      Google’s giant Equiano Internet cable has landed in South Africa

      8 August 2022

      The African tech start-ups eyeing global markets

      8 August 2022

      Karpowership loses bid to overturn environmental ruling

      8 August 2022

      New app launched to tackle potholes in South Africa

      8 August 2022

      Rogue database felled Capitec in its worst-ever IT outage

      7 August 2022
    • World

      Nvidia issues profit warning on slump in demand for graphics cards

      8 August 2022

      Buterin: Mining on Ethereum Classic won’t affect Merge

      8 August 2022

      Musk challenges Twitter CEO to a public debate

      7 August 2022

      Amazon splashes $1.7-billion on Roomba maker iRobot

      5 August 2022

      Nigeria asks Google to block banned groups from YouTube

      5 August 2022
    • In-depth

      The length of Earth’s days has been increasing – and no one knows why

      7 August 2022

      As Facebook fades, the Mad Men of advertising stage a comeback

      2 August 2022

      Crypto breaks the rules. That’s the point

      27 July 2022

      E-mail scams are getting chillingly personal

      17 July 2022

      Webb telescope’s stunning images of the cosmos

      12 July 2022
    • Podcasts

      How South Africa can woo more women into tech

      4 August 2022

      Book and check-in via WhatsApp? FlySafair is on it

      28 July 2022

      Interview: Why Dell’s next-gen PowerEdge servers change the game

      28 July 2022

      Demystifying the complexity of AI – fact vs fiction

      6 July 2022

      How your organisation can triage its information security risk

      22 June 2022
    • Opinion

      SIU seeks to set aside R215-million IT tender

      19 July 2022

      No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

      11 July 2022

      Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

      8 July 2022

      South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

      4 July 2022

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»News»Rioting forces halt to vaccinations in key provinces

    Rioting forces halt to vaccinations in key provinces

    News By Agency Staff13 July 2021
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccination programme has been partially halted as violent protests following the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma rage in two key provinces.

    State-administered inoculations have been suspended in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng, said Nicholas Crisp, a consultant to the national health department who is helping oversee the programme.

    “We are clearly not going to be putting our staff in harm’s way,” Crisp said in an interview Tuesday, adding that those queuing for vaccines could also be in danger. “It will just have to wait until things calm down.”

    We are clearly not going to be putting our staff in harm’s way. It will just have to wait until things calm down

    The disruption is the latest blow to a roll-out that’s been criticised for its late start and remains at a nascent stage. Earlier issues include a decision not to use the AstraZeneca vaccine amid fears of its efficacy against the beta variant of the virus, while the delivery of Johnson & Johnson vaccines were delayed after a contamination incident at a US factory.

    South Africa vaccinated 146 577 people in the 24 hours to 5pm on Monday compared to over 191 000 late last week. The health department had expected to inoculate more than 200 000 that day, Crisp said. Fewer than 4 000 doses were administered in KwaZulu-Natal.

    Setback

    The setback comes as the country is in the grip of a third wave of Covid-19 infections that have led to the imposition of a curfew, a ban on alcohol sales and restrictions on movement. Of the daily infections recorded in the country, about half are in Gauteng.

    Before the violence erupted at the weekend, inoculation numbers had been climbing steadily toward a target of 300 000 a day set by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

    “Our vaccination programme has been severely disrupted just as it is gaining momentum,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address on Monday. “This will have lasting effects on our ability to consolidate some of the progress we were already witnessing in our economic recovery.”

    Image: Daniel Schludi

    Vaccinations and testing by private companies have also been disrupted. Dis-Chem Pharmacies, which provides both services, closed all its stores in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday, according to text messages sent to customers.

    Discovery, which owns South Africa’s largest medical scheme administrator, shuttered all its vaccination sites bar one in Cape Town on Tuesday. The company is prioritising the safety of its staff and would reopen when possible, it said in a statement.

    At more than 2.2 million, South Africa has the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 infections in Africa. More than 64 000 people have officially died of the disease, though health researchers say the real figure may be three times as much.

    Of almost 4.4 million doses of vaccine administered in the country so far, 23% have been in Gauteng and 22% in KwaZulu-Natal.

    “A lot of sites are packing up,” said Busisiwe Mavuso, the CEO of Business Leadership South Africa. The riots “are super spreader events”.  — Reported by Antony Sguazzin, (c) 2021 Bloomberg LP

    Cyril Ramaphosa Dis-Chem Jacob Zuma
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleTelkom shuts all stores countrywide until further notice
    Next Article Huge Group goes on offensive in pursuit of Adapt IT

    Related Posts

    Google’s giant Equiano Internet cable has landed in South Africa

    8 August 2022

    The African tech start-ups eyeing global markets

    8 August 2022

    Karpowership loses bid to overturn environmental ruling

    8 August 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    You don’t need a call centre to take advantage of call centre technology

    5 August 2022

    Black man, you are still on your own

    5 August 2022

    UC&C interoperability offers businesses operational cost relief in tough times

    4 August 2022
    Opinion

    SIU seeks to set aside R215-million IT tender

    19 July 2022

    No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

    11 July 2022

    Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

    8 July 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.