Image: Lorne Philpot
Image: Lorne Philpot
It’s not often the Western Cape Government issues such an alarming cry for help, but here we are. Local officials have pleaded with residents aged 50 and over to help ensure that the province can enjoy summer this year.
What’s it all about? Well, like everything these days, it’s COVID-related…
How many people have been vaccinated in the Western Cape?
Wendy Philander is the Western Cape’s spokesperson for health. She has revealed that the rate of fully vaccinated citizens older than 50 only stands at 52%, with a further 9% only partially vaccinated.
This is still some distance away from the national target of 70%, which – if achieved by all age groups – will allow the government to permanently drop the State of Disaster rules. Philander is adamant that a higher number of vaccinated senior citizens and fifty-somethings will give the Western Cape ‘greater freedoms’ in the months ahead.
“Only 52% of those in this high-risk, 50+ years old age group have been fully vaccinated and only 9% are partially vaccinated. I will write to the Provincial Minister of Health for further information on her Department’s plans to further address the age-related disparity in the uptake of vaccines.”
“We call on all residents of the Western Cape to help save our summer, and encourage those who have yet to receive their jabs, especially those in the high-risk cohort (aged 50 and above) of contracting COVID, to join the vaccination drive this week.” | Wendy Philander
Aged 50 or over? The WCG wants you to ‘save the summer’
For the Western Cape, they’ve had a relatively good start to their vaccine drive, and with 43% of the population now inoculated, it’s the best overall average for any province in South Africa. But those most vulnerable to the virus are lagging behind their comparative cohorts elsewhere, and Philander has laid down a gauntlet for those aged 50+…
‘Go out, get jabbed, and help save the summer’:
“We need to protect as many residents as possible in support of greater freedom for the upcoming summer months, which is also when scientists predict a possible fourth wave of infections will occur.”
“A calculation by the Western Cape Government shows that those who get vaccinated before 20 October can still be fully jabbed before we enter the festive season. This move will not only mean so much for individual safety as vaccines have proven, but also decrease the negative impact of the wave of infections as anticipated over Christmas.”
