The Western Cape is continuing to see an increase in Covid-19 infections, hospitalisations and deaths.
In light of this steady increase the City of Cape Town honed in on Atlantis on Thursday 17 June in a concerted effort to increase Covid-19 vaccine registration among the elderly.
Alderman Dan Plato, Cape Town Mayor, and Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayco Member for Community Services and Health, visited the area to encourage locals to register for their vaccine shot.
The Provincial Department of Health recently announced the country had entered the third wave of Covid-19 infections. This followed a steady week-on-week increase in new cases, admissions and fatalities over the past few weeks.
Plato said the elderly are a vulnerable group identified for phase 2 of the national vaccination rollout. He told local residents it is vital that awareness of the benefits of the vaccine be promoted.
The Mayor said in a short brief that “as a resident over 60 years of age I was advised by healthcare staff to get the vaccine, which was a quick and easy process without experiencing any negative side effects.”
He said he is due to get his second dose later this month and appealed to older residents to register to receive the vaccine so we can move closer to achieving population immunity and bring an end to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Atlantis is one of the towns in which there is a low registration rate among the elderly and, according to Badroodien, among the 6 911 elderly residents in Atlantis who are eligible for the vaccine only 2 068 are registered. He said: “This is slightly less than 30%, and I want to urge our elderly to make sure they’re registered and at the same time, implore our young people, who may be more tech-savvy, to help those who are unable to get on the database. It’s only when we work together that we are able to keep everyone safe and return to our normal routines.
“The vaccines are safe and protects against disease and it’s the best method we have to protect our loved ones from getting sick as well as stopping the pandemic.
“People over the age of 60 are at much greater risk of severe disease and death from Covid-19, so we really do encourage all those who are eligible, to register as soon as possible. Currently only 48,8% of the over 60 population in Cape Town has registered.”
