The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government is administering the COVID-19 vaccine to an average of 12 000 people per day.
“We are intensifying vaccination of the elderly, and also increasing capacity in our rural areas. We urge all the qualifying categories of people at this stage to register on the database,” KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said on Wednesday.
As of 28 June 2021, the province has vaccinated 416 967 senior citizens, 68 748 educators, as well as 130 546 healthcare workers.
“The total number of senior citizens who are currently registered on the Electronic Vaccination Data System currently stands at 553 279, from a target of just over 955 000 that we need to vaccinate,” the Premier said.
He was addressing members of the media in Durban on the infection trends in the province, vaccination and the general state of readiness to deal with the third wave.
“The number of vaccination sites that we have now prepared for the Pfizer vaccine is 359; whereas for educators, we have prepared 102 vaccination sites. All in all, we currently have 152 active sites for both vaccines. Umkhanyakude and Ethekwini Districts have completed their allocated doses earlier than other districts. The vaccine doses will be available again from today,” Zikalala said.
The Premier’s media briefing comes after the country was moved to Adjusted Alert Level 4 on Monday as announced by the President on Sunday.
“As we continue to race against the onset of the third wave, we urge all fellow compatriots to play their part by behaving responsibly, and avoid conducts that may lead into acquisition and spread of the virus. We will be going corner by corner, and district by district, to vaccinate our people as more vaccine doses become available,” he said.
The latest COVID-19 statistics show that the province registered 483 new cases, bringing the total number of reported cases to 352 401.
The province has 10 532 active cases, while it has registered 10 689 deaths due to the virus. The number of recoveries currently stands at 330 316.
Deploying law enforcement to enforce lockdown regulations
The province has directed the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) to review its plans and come up with a clear programme for the next 14 days and possibly beyond to enforce lockdown regulations.
“Already the Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (ProvJOINTS), which is a structure that integrates all law enforcement agencies, has met to respond to the new developments. The new plan is informed by experience and areas that previously have had challenges in terms of non-compliance with the regulations,” the Premier said.
The plan will focus on residential areas, where there is generally a high movement of people, with operations being conducted throughout the province.
“Already, work is taking place in areas that have been identified as hotspots; but we will now be beefing-up the teams and our operations. Disturbingly, in the month of June 2021, more than 1 763 people were arrested for violating the National Lockdown Regulations.
A vast majority of those are people who were arrested for not wearing masks, as well as for cases of failure to confine themselves to their places of residence during the stipulated times,” the Premier said.
The following are among some of the plans for the heightened enforcement of the Adjusted Alert Level 4 regulations:
- Targeted enforcement operations in hotspot areas;
- Intelligence-driven operations targeting illegal movement and sale of alcohol;
- Multi-disciplinary roadblocks targeting various crime categories;
- Enforcement of the law to ensure adherence to regulated hours;
- Enforcing compliance with regards to the wearing of masks; and
- Enforcement of sanctions for other forms of non-compliance.
The province will commence with the vaccination of police and other security personnel on Monday.
“This is an important move that will protect fellow officers. We know that some criminals will want to exploit the plight of our people during the Adjusted Alert Level 4,” the Premier said. – SAnews.gov.za
