[ad_1]
The only way to stop a second major wave of COVID-19 infections in South Africa this winter is by launching vaccines.
This is the opinion of Professor Alex van den Heever, chair of studies in administration and management of social security systems at the Wits School of Governance.
Speaking to ENCA, Van den Heever said that there is a strong seasonal element in the pandemic that is related to human behavior.
“As the weather cools, people spend more time indoors, which increases the transmission of the virus. It also creates the opportunity for super spreader events, ”he said.
Summer is the period when typical transmission rates are reduced, but what is happening in some regions is that transmission rates are increasing.
At these coronavirus hotspots, regional restrictions are needed to stop the spread of the virus.
Van den Heever said the general national shutdown “clearly did not work in the first phase,” although it had some effect.
He added that the economic damage caused by the strict national closure was so great that it cannot be repeated.
This means that localized interventions are important to contain the virus during the summer period.
Prevention of a second wave of COVID-19 infections
To survive a second wave coming into winter, Van den Heever said the country will need vaccines.
There will be a huge push to get vaccines, but questions are being raised as to whether the government is doing enough to ensure there is a launch before April.
“If we don’t have a vaccine launch before April, we will face a second major wave that we cannot contain,” he said.
Van den Heever said it is unclear what is currently happening and there is concern that the groundwork is not being laid to launch a vaccine in time.
“In Europe they are going through their winter period now, so they are making the launch of the vaccine urgent,” he said.
“They thought they could contain the pandemic in the winter period, but they couldn’t. That is an indication of what is going to happen to us ”.
The good news is that South Africa has until April to line up its ducks. This time should be used to make sure we start rolling out the vaccine as soon as we can, Van den Heever said.
“We should have distributed enough vaccines by April to contain the serious aspects of the pandemic, at least among the people most likely to die and front-line workers,” he said.
To ensure that the vaccine is distributed soon, the country has to authorize a vaccine and make sure it has commitments for certain quantities of the vaccine.
He said this must be done quickly to ensure enough vaccines are secured to launch a national vaccination program before winter.
Interview with Professor Alex van den Heever
Read Now: Ramaphosa hopes to announce new regional alcohol restrictions and a longer curfew
[ad_2]
