COVID-19 UPDATE BY JESSIE TAYLOR
A jab analysis
Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
S
outh Africa’s vaccination programme has been boosted, with the waiting period between vaccine doses reduced. This will allow citizens to become fully vaccinated and bolster their immunity even faster. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases of South Africa (NICD), vaccines have been shown to reduce severe disease and mortality from Covid-19 by up to 95 to 97%. Since South Africa’s vaccine rollout programme, more than 31 million vaccine doses have been
administered. Of the almost 40 million adults in South Africa, 47% have received at least one dose of vaccine, and nearly 43% have been fully vaccinated with their primary vaccine doses. More than one million booster doses have been administered across the country. According to the NICD, booster vaccination with the J&J or Pfizer vaccine is a reliable and safe way of increasing antibody levels. Booster vaccine shots have been found to improve protection against Covid-19 infection and will reduce your chances of
30 | Public Sector Leaders | March 2022
developing severe illness should you become infected. Because our immunity – both natural and from vaccines – wanes over time, it is essential to use booster shots to keep us protected against new variants of Covid-19, such as the Omicron variant. Reducing the
Vaccines have been shown to reduce severe disease and mortality from Covid-19 by up to 95 to 97%. time between doses ensures that South Africans have increased protection without delay.
