70 per Cent Herd Immunity To Be Achieved in SA by 31 December, Says David Mabuza

• The government is inching closer to its objective of achieving herd immunity against the Covid-19 virus
• Deputy President David Mabuza said the expectation is that 70 per cent of the population would have received their Covid jabs
• Mabuza added that getting men to vaccinate was a challenge as this gender harboured more scepticism around the Covid-19 jab

The majority of South Africans are expected to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by the time the end of the year rolls around.

In terms of a percentage, Deputy President David Mabuza said the expectation is that 70 per cent of the population – which translates to 40 million of 59 million South Africans – would have received their Covid jabs.

With a general lack of widespread acceptance to vaccinate by South Africans, Mabuza said the increase in mobile vaccination sites and door-to-door campaigns was bearing fruits, News24 reported.

Read also

Peaceful anti vax protest turns into squabble with police, 2 arrested: "Plague rats"

Mabuza added that getting men to vaccinate was a challenge as this gender harboured more scepticism around the Covid-19 jab, according to an IOL report.

Speaking at the rollout, he said:

"We can't criminalise lack of knowledge by sending the police after those spreading fake news about the vaccines. Instead, we ought to educate them," the Deputy President explained.

"Send experts, health care workers and counter the misconceptions with enlightened views."

Makhura, like Mabuza, said he was confident in the government's vaccination rollout strategy. The Premier noted that healthcare practitioners had ceased waiting for people to come to vaccination sites.

Instead, he said their ploy was to approach people at their places of residence and sensitive them to the importance of vaccinating and, in the process, address any myths or misconceptions.

Read also

Ramaphosa doffs hat to 'heroic educators' amid Covid-19 battle: 'We must salute them'

"In cases where they encounter strong resistance from community members, we will send healthcare workers and experts to try and convince them to vaccinate. We have to fight fire with fire, fake news with informed perspectives," said Makhura.

Discovery set to make vaccinations mandatory for employees

In other news, Briefly News reported that starting from 1 January 2022, Discovery employees will be required to get vaccinated against the coronavirus by the company.

Discovery has a moral and social obligation to fulfil. The company stated in their decision to introduce this policy was based on the morals and core beliefs the company has, according to BussinessTech.

The company is committed to helping people get healthier, protect themselves and enhance their lives.

Source: Briefly News