International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor visited the SMU/DGMAH vaccination site where she took her booster shot recently.
After receiving her booster shot, Minister Pandor congratulated the University as well as the hospital for running a properly arranged and good site for vaccination.
“I think proper arrangements have been made for the site, it is well ventilated and professionally run with great staff members,” said the Minister.
Minister Pandor said she needed to take a booster shot of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and heard that it was available at the SMU/DGMAH vaccination site. She was also pleased that the site offers both the Pfizer as well as the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Like all the leaders across the world, Minister Pandor urged members of society to go and voluntarily vaccinate in their numbers, this in order to ensure that everyone is protected.
“If I have been so disciplined and vaccinated with the right number of doses, every person in our country should make themselves voluntarily available to be vaccinated. Each of us have a responsibility to protect ourselves, our families and the rest of society. Being vaccinated is to perform your patriotic duty and not just to the South African population but to the global population. We are a global community confronted by a global pandemic”, concluded Minister Pandor.
SMU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Mbati met with the Minister and thanked her for leading by example as well as choosing to vaccinate at the SMU/DGMAH site.
Prof Mbati called upon members of the community to emulate the Minister to come and vaccinate at the site.
Vaccines for Covid-19 have been shown to reduce severe disease and mortality and are lifesaving. Being vaccinated will protect people from severe illness and/or death. Vaccination will reduce but not prevent mild to moderate illness.
As Covid-19 variants emerge, research has shown that protection against Covid-19 is related to antibody levels. Booster vaccines are a reliable and safe way of increasing antibody levels and currently recommended for all individuals above 18 years by the National Department of Health.
Among some of the things that can be done at the SMU/DGMAH vaccination site are, Pfizer booster dose which is available after 6 months (180 days) of the second dose. Johnson & Johnson booster which is available after two months (60 days) of the first dose. Families were also encouraged to bring their children from 12 – 17 years for vaccination, with teenagers who received their first dose of Pfizer eligible for a second dose just 42 days after the first jab.
The vaccination site is operational between Monday and Friday from 8:00 to 15h00.