[LISTEN] Sisonke vaccination drive hailed as ‘huge success' as it draws to close
The co-principal investigator of the Sisonke 3B implementation study, Linda-Gail Bekker, says the vaccination of healthcare workers has been a massive success.
The study launched in February with a target of 500 000 frontline workers.
The deadline is Saturday afternoon.
Bekker believes the pros of the programme far outweigh the cons.
"The biggest pros is that we've been able to vaccinate almost 500 000 healthcare workers when in fact we wouldn't have been able to do so without Sisonke so without doubt, as a contingency has been highly successful.
"This is really what we would have hoped - that we'd be able to protect healthcare workers prior to a third wave.
"It's been constrained in its reach, but I'm delighted we got to this point - it's been better than nothing."
The country's healthcare workers are estimated at 1.5 million.
The remaining healthcare workers are expected to be inoculated under phase 1B from Monday.
"Healthcare workers that have not vaccinated should not panic, they will be taken up in the phase 1B and those will be with the Pfizer commercial doses so there will be a handoff to ensure that people who have not been able to vaccinate, seamlessly move over to 1B."
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The Sisonke came under fire this week when renowned poet and activist Lebo Mashile announced on social media that she has been vaccinated.
Mashile revealed that she had gotten her hands on a jab through the African Alliance in her advocacy work.
I woke up before dawn to head to Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto to get a vaccine along with frontline healthcare workers. I am here to share my experiences and raise awareness about the process. My heart has been through a rollercoaster of emotions in the last 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/eJS2twOPQX
— Lebogang Mashile (@lebomashile) May 12, 2021
Bekker admits the definition of healthcare workers was expanded in a race against time.
"We have been very systematic in prioritising the healthcare worker force. Our first set of healthcare workers who came into Sisonke in February where people who worked in ICU, nurses, Covid ward staff, emergency room staff and we have quite systematically worked backwards from the complete frontline further and further back.
"Just after the pause which occurred in April, we definitely saw a lull in our queues and in our demand and it was at that point that we really tried to expand the definition to ensure that we do use up all the doses that are available for Sisonke before the Sisonke ends.
"It has been a bit of a race against time to finish Sisonke so that we don't get confused with 1B."
The vaccination of the remining healthcare workers will run concurrent to the vaccine drive for the elderly.
Listen to Professor Linda-Gail Bekker below: