Police and defence force next in line for vaccinations

The Department of Health has confirmed that, in addition to people 50 years and older, members of the police and defence force can also get their Covid-19 vaccine jabs this month.

#VaccineRollOutSA || 50 years and older? It’s your turn to get the jab. Register on the EVDS https://t.co/N4RE2zFLnj

Vaccination starts on 15 July 2021. #iChooseVaccination pic.twitter.com/BHoIE4rJtH

— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) July 1, 2021

According to police minister Bheki Cele, Covid-19 had claimed the lives of 666 police officers.

“While we gear up for the vaccination of officers in the frontlines, we know that for the next two weeks it will not be business as usual as we operate under adjusted alert level 4,” he said.

National health department spokesperson Popo Maja said 183 000 SAPS members were targeted, while the SANDF was targeting 100 000 members for vaccination.

“We need them to maintain law and order and they have physical contact with the public every day.”

Maja said police vaccinations would kick off on Monday next week, as the SAPS had been planning for months.

The SANDF will start vaccinations on Friday, July 8.

He said registration for vaccinations for the members of the public older than 50 would start at 13:00 on July 1, while vaccinations would kick off on July 15.

He said other age groups would follow as planning was being finalised, however, the president has announced the security cluster as next, “so that’s what we are planning”.

Maja said journalists’ forums had also made representations for vaccinations this week, which still needed planning.

“There will need to be a comprehensive database of who is included and that decision will rest with the inter-ministerial committee.”

The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) welcomed the government’s decision to follow through on its promise to prioritise journalists in the country’s vaccine roll-out programme.

“Journalists, as designated frontline workers have risked their lives every day for the past 16 months, working throughout the pandemic as part of their responsibility to the public,” Sanef said in a statement.

“Even during the different peaks of the pandemic, they have not had the option to suspend work or work from home because of the nature of their work and the critical service they provide.”

Sanef said many journalists had travelled across the country, going to hospitals, clinics, vaccination sites, mass rallies, press conferences to report on the pandemic.

“On Monday, the government informed Sanef that journalists will be next in line as soon as all media houses submit their information regarding their employees’ age groups and the regions where they are stationed.”

Sanef called on the media fraternity to vaccinate so that the government could move onto the next priority sectors.