Covid 19: Expert Says Vaccines Should Become Mandatory in Some Industries

• Professor Salim Abdool Karim, an epidemiologist says vaccines being mandatory in South Africa has benefits for society
• Karim says getting the Covid 19 vaccine should be a requirement on the basis of the type of industry people work in
• In South Africa, the government has not made vaccines mandatory, however, private sector firms have started to mandate vaccination for their employees

The discussions around mandatory vaccinations in South Africa have been gaining momentum in recent weeks and there are polarising views on the topic.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated on several occasions that getting the Covid 19 vaccine is not mandatory but South Africans are encouraged to get vaccinated.

While the South African government is not making vaccines a requirement, private sector companies such as Discovery, Sanlam and Curro have chosen to make getting vaccinated a requirement for the staff members, according to a report by Fin24.

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An epidemiologist, Professor Salim Abdool Karim is also of the opinion that mandatory vaccinations should not just be for the private sector but should also be for other industries such as healthcare.

Karim adds that should people choose not to get vaccinated then they need to undergo weekly Covid 19 tests to ensure that are negative for the virus, reports SABC News.

Karim states that there is a societal benefit for making vaccines a requirement because getting vaccines reduces the risk of catching the virus.

Covid19 Update: 15 Million Vaccine mark passed, new pill study approved in SA

Briefly News previously reported that as of Tuesday, 14 September, South Africa breached the 15 million Covid19 vaccine mark. Reports from the Health Department revealed that 15 188 787 Covid19 vaccinations have been administered so far. The above data excludes vaccination records that have been written physically on paper.

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Instead, it includes data captured by the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS). Developments in the fight against Covid19 have been spread across the globe.

South Africa's health regulator recently approved a pill study. The study revolves around a pill that is administered to patients who have tested positive for the Covid19 virus and are symptomatic but are well enough to not be admitted to hospital for care.

Source: Briefly News