Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane Wants Vaccinations to Be Made Mandatory
- Premier of the Eastern Cape Oscar Mabuyane is taking a firm stance in his province's fight against Covid-19
- Mabuyane wants Covid-19 vaccinations to be made mandatory due to the discovery of the Omicron variant
- The ANC provincial chairperson said getting people vaccinated remained the government's main priority
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BISHO - Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane is the latest official to call for the government to make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory amid a rise in the number of active cases in the province.
Mabuyane made the utterances during a media briefing at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha on Tuesday, saying the move was necessary after the discovery of the Omicron variant.
Source: Twitter
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality account for about half of all the active cases in the Eastern Cape, which stood at 6 368 at the time of publication.
Mabuyane has since encouraged residents of both metros to exercise extreme caution amid the festive season by adhering to all the necessary health protocols, including sanitising and maintaining social distancing, News24 reported.
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Precautions should be taken
However, the premier warned that large gatherings are ill-advised due to increasing the risk of infection because the virus was spreading faster, adding the number of unvaccinated people in the province and the country was of concern.
"I know it's not an easy situation to manage, but it’s up to those who are hosting events to protect attendees against the virus spreading," said Mabuyane.
“Our scientists are still studying the Omicron variant. It’s about twice as transmissible as the other strains of the virus. Further, those who are unvaccinated are about 10 times more likely to be admitted to hospitals if they’re infected," he added.
According to EWN, people between 20 and 39 accounts for about 41 per cent of hospital admissions in the province, in response to which the ANC provincial chair said vaccinations were being ramped up. Meanwhile, health facilities were being prepared for a fourth wave.
Vaxxed and unvaxxed on collision course
However, Mabuyane stressed that getting people vaccinated remained the government’s main priority to prevent the health system from becoming overburdened, as with previous waves.
“The government should implement a mandatory vaccination as a prerequisite to access public places. Some are continuing as if it's business as usual in the middle of a war, mingling with vaccinated people daily," Mabuyane lamented.
"The government is doing a lot to educate and raise awareness of vaccines. Millions have been vaccinated and busted the myths around the vaccine. The vaccines are free, and there are no valid reasons for people not to get their jabs."
SA unmoved after being urged to vaccinate for herd immunity
In related news, Briefly News recently reported that as preparations for the festive season ramp-up, citizens have again been encouraged to get vaccinated for South Africa to reach its 70 per cent target of herd immunity by the end of the year.
The renewed calls come after Deputy President David Mabuza was a no-show after he was slated to lead the social mobilisation drive hosted by the government in Cape Town on Monday, and where President Cyril Ramaphosa is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19, the Presidency announced.
Ramaphosa, whom it was widely reported was previously vaccinated and is said to be experiencing mild symptoms, has since delegated presidential powers to Mabuza for the foreseeable future, according to a News24 report.
It appears Ramaphosa's reportedly positive diagnoses spurred authorities on as they hasten to implore the public to line up for the vaccine in their numbers, SABC News reported.
Source: Briefly News
