Plans in place to keep vaccines safe during loadshedding

The government has plans in place to keep vaccines properly refrigerated as load shedding once again hit South Africa this week.

This was according to Lebogang Maile, the Gauteng MEC for human settlements, urban planning and co-operative governance and traditional affairs.

“There are generators to make sure that facilities are not affected by any power outages,” said Maile.

The Pfizer vaccines need to be kept at a low temperature.

Maile made the remarks during a visit to Soshanguve’s clinic in Block JJ on Monday, as phase 1B and phase 2 of the government’s vaccination programme kicked off.

Phase 1B includes health workers who are yet to be vaccinated, traditional health practitioners and staff employed at funeral parlours.

Phase 2 will target people who are over 60.

Deputy facility manager at the clinic Tsietsi Makau said the two phases would run concurrently.

“People over 60 are part of the programme provided they present conformation that they have been assigned to vaccinate at this site,” said Makau.

Makau said there was a “master list of all the traditional healers in the district to make sure people do not claim to be someone who they are not”.

Facility manager Napo Mpaketsane said the clinic would be monitored by police and their own security to ensure the safety of the vaccines on site.

“Other than that, it is not easy to get into the dispensary,” said Mpaketsane.

Maile said South Africa had taken the fight against Covid-19 to the next level by increasing access to the vaccines.

“This is one of the facilities that has been identified by the province. We want to satisfy ourselves that the facility is capacitated and ready. We are happy with what we have seen.”

The first person to be vaccinated at the facility Christina Masinya said she was “very excited” to be first in line.

“I am very excited I did this,” she told Rekord.

“This will make me feel so much better. This is a good thing for me and my family. I want to encourage everybody to vaccinate so that we can fight this virus.”

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