Covid-19 reversed gains made in fight against HIV, says Makhura
Gauteng Premier David Makhura has raised concerns over the decrease in the number of HIV positive people collecting their ARVs at public health facilities.
The drop is believed to be due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Makhura was speaking at the commemoration of World Aids Day on Tuesday in Ekurhuleni.
He said the Covid-19 pandemic reversed the gains made by the Gauteng government in the fight against HIV/Aids.
"So what happened in Gauteng in 2019, we had a significant reversal especially in terms of those who were in antiretroviral therapy. We had a significant drop to the point where in September 2020, we moved lower to 64% to those who were on ARVs. They were lost in the system because of Covid-19."
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As the country prepares to enter the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, the country is nowhere near achieving its 70% vaccination target.
Since the beginning of the country's vaccination drive in February close to 37% of the population has been fully vaccinated.
The low vaccination turnout has been attributed to vaccine hesitancy.
In Gauteng, over eight million people still need to be vaccinated against the deadly virus, and only 50% have been vaccinated with one dose.
"One of the big problems with Covid-19 is vaccine hesitancy. We only have 4.5 million single doses and 3.6 million full doses. We still have 8 million people who are not vaccinated," added Makhura.
