Gauteng Leaders Uses Campaigning Period To Drive Covid19 Messages

“Each party should be sending out a message to its supporters that they should vaccinate, they should wear their masks, and they should continue to adhere to these measures. We can’t afford to slow down during elections,”

Those are the words of Gauteng Premier David Makhura have who was urging political parties to use their election campaigns to promote vaccination.

This, according to the premier is important or otherwise, the Gauteng would not meet its target to vaccinate 70% of the provincial population by mid-December despite the fact that over 5.3 million people have received at least one vaccine.

According to Makhura townships, particularly in the south of Johannesburg, were lagging behind with vaccinations.

Premier Makhura also used the media conference platform attention to explain key vaccination safety issues which have dominated social media debates

“Vaccines undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy, based on trial data from thousands of participants across the globe. Several national and international regulatory agencies have closely examined the COVID-19 vaccines for safety and effectiveness.

In South Africa we have an additional layer of safety. The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) looks at all the scientific data to ensure the vaccine is safe, effective, and a quality product.

Additionally, because COVID-19 vaccines were developed speedily, all regulators globally have put extra mechanisms in place to monitor them.’’ he said

This Covid 19 awareness article was produced with the Journalists for Human Rights support.