Kelebogile Ntlangane, sister-in-law of the deceased, Papi Moshampa, says when they called for an ambulance, they were advised to rush him to the nearest clinic. Moshampa came from work complaining .
Ninety-two more COVID-19 vaccination sites are scheduled to open across the province from Monday for the elderly and some healthcare workers to receive their jabs.
On Sunday evening, Free State MEC for Health Montseng Tsiu said the Free State was ready to begin with Phase 2 of the national vaccination programme. “We have two vaccination sites in two different districts which are Thabo Mofutsanyana and Mangaung, she said during a National Department of Health briefing.
But on Monday and Tuesday, Mangaung was rocked by service delivery protests.
“The mass vaccination was badly affected by the protests in Mangaung which is one of the two districts identified to launch the programme,” provincial Department of Health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi told
Spotlight. “The violent element of the protest prevented the vaccination programme to launch in the district because people could not get to work as there was a total shutdown. Cars were stoned, people in the streets were beaten so no one could work,” he said.
The process of vaccinating 16.5 million people in South Africa against Covid-19 by the end of October will begin on Monday, 17 May, as the national roll-out begins.
Provinces have admitted that the start of the Covid-19 vaccination programme will be slow. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, too, has acknowledged this.
The Department of Health has promised that 3,000 vaccination sites will be brought online during Phase Two of the programme. Those over 60 years old are able to register and receive a Covid-19 vaccine during Phase Two, which is scheduled to run from 17 May until the end of October.
Pfizer vaccines will be administered at 83 public sector sites and four private sector sites from 17 May, according to Mkhize on Sunday evening during a press briefing. He was joined by the health MECs of all nine provinces.