[ad_1]
- There was jubilation at Steve Biko Academic Hospital on Wednesday when healthcare workers received their first Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine.
- The hospital has received 5,700 vaccinations to implement and has set a goal of 60 workers per day.
- Gauteng Prime Minister David Makhura said the province was ready for the broader rollout of vaccines expected in the coming weeks.
Staff at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria spent half the day rehearsing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine inoculation test on Wednesday, which began around 2 p.m.
LIVE | All the latest coronavirus updates and lockdown
Registered healthcare workers were already queuing at the hospital’s Covid-19 vaccination area when the media arrived along with Gauteng Prime Minister David Makhura and the Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi.
Clinical researcher Dr. Matsontso Mathebula said that some 13 workers had been vaccinated at the hospital shortly after 3:30 p.m.
Mathebula added after they were vaccinated, they were observed for 15 minutes.
Makhura and Mokgethi, who were the first to take a hit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, were monitoring the historic moment in the country after a setback with the initial launch of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Among those who were delighted to receive their first blows at the hospital were the executive director, Dr. Mathabo Mathebula, the acting director of infectious diseases, Professor Veronica Ueckermann, and the anesthetist, Dr. Onicca Khobo-Mpe.
There was jubilation in the air, with clapping from room to room as the employees received their vaccinations.
Khobo-Mpe, who lost her parents to the virus about a month ago, said the opportunity to be among the first to receive the vaccine was exciting and motivating.
He added that it was important for healthcare workers to take the initiative and show the public that the process was safe.
“In health, prevention is always better than cure. We have seen many people who have suffered from Covid-19 and the consequences have been very deep and immense for many families. For my part, I have suffered. [the] loss of my parents, “said Khobo-Mpe.
Speaking of his experience, Ueckermann said the injection was not painful and felt like “a little mosquito bite.”
She added:
I think we are all tired and the second wave was very big and it came very fast. We have all worked very hard and lost colleagues and friends, so we are very relieved to have had this [vaccine].
The hospital received 5,700 doses and 11,000 were assigned to Baragwanath, Makhura said.
A new front
Mathebula said the mood at the hospital was no longer bleak, with staff excited and ready to take the doses.
“I have been receiving communication since 05:00 from staff members and while I am talking to them, [expressed] they couldn’t wait to sit in that chair and be protected from [the] coronavirus.
“It feels like I’m watching the rain disappear after a big storm. This has been our prayer to say that one day we have to find a solution. The only way to deal with a virus is by getting vaccinated.”
He added that the hospital aimed to vaccinate 60 workers, but would end up with 40 or less, due to time, as the process seemed to take longer than expected.
Mathebula said the hospital planned to operate between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
He added that 1,200 workers had so far been registered to be vaccinated, and said workers from the Tshwane District Hospital and pathology services would also queue up at the facility.
“We hope that if we start between 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM, we could cover 100 people per day. We have been given a 14-day goal to complete 5,700 shots,” Mathebula said.
Makhura said the province was anxiously awaiting other doses so that the more than 200,000 health workers could be covered before the other phases began.
He added that the province was ready for a broader deployment once other vaccines landed in the country.
Makhura said it is important that pharmaceutical protocols continue to be followed, regardless of vaccination.
“We have been fighting this disease and the battle on different fronts, but this is a new front. This is a new front, where vaccines are a game changer in the fight against Covid-19.”
Do you want to know more about this topic? Sign up to receive one of 33 News24 newsletters to receive the information you want in your inbox. Special newsletters are available to subscribers.
