DURBAN - The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health launched the province’s Covid-19 phase 2 vaccination programme on Monday, but a number of elderly vaccination hopefuls in KwaMashu left without receiving their injections.
Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane joined Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize as they launched the phase 2 programme, for people aged 60 and older, at the Royal Agricultural Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg at 9am.
A 68-year-old man from KwaMashu said he had his doubts before going to the vaccination site. He and his wife had registered on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) as soon as it was launched. Their registration was acknowledged, but there had been no communication since. On Monday he walked to the KwaMashu Sports Centre where the vaccinations were supposed to take place, but met others who had turned back after learning no vaccinations were taking place.
He had left his wife at home so he could look into the matter. He said there was no one from the Health Department at the sports centre, and they were made to wait in a hall. Field workers arrived, but they also had no idea what was going on. They told the elderly they were there to register them.
The man said he had been registered three times, once on EVDS, once by field workers going door to door and again on Monday, when he was waiting to be vaccinated.
He said only the field workers had provided them with chairs to sit on, and the hall was very cold. He and about 15 others had waited for about two hours and then left in disappointment.
“If it was elections, they would have fetched us at home. Only when we vote do we matter,” he said. “Where was our premier (Sihle Zikalala)? In Pietermaritzburg supporting Jacob Zuma.
“It’s the norm to treat the elderly unfairly in South Africa. You see it with the old-age grant, it was seen with the Covid-19 R350 grant and the elderly standing in long queues outside Florence Mkhize Building,” he said.
He said nothing concerning senior citizens was properly planned, and all they were waiting for was to be buried.
An elderly woman from Maphumulo Local Municipality had received the Covid-19 vaccine and said she did not feel anything different, and that “everything went well”.
Umlazi ward councillor Nomthandazo Shabalala said the vaccination had gone well. They had two clinics, Q and D, which were conducting vaccinations.
Shabalala said some senior citizens were at the venues very early.
“I think the clinics are what’s helping us. We had no issues,” Shabalala said.
The Daily News visited a few vaccination sites. At Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital, vaccinations had been halted.
At the Pinetown Civic Centre, the Daily News found a short queue of health workers. They were first screened and then sent on their way to be vaccinated. One of the marshals said the elderly arrived very early and were finished quickly.
Daily News