We can’t force people to vaccinate, says KZN health MEC amid Covid-19 surge

Nomagugu Simelane, the MEC for health in KwaZulu-Natal, which has become a Covid-19 hotspot, has criticised those falling for conspiracy theories and hesitating to vaccinate.

KwaZulu-Natal accounted for almost 2,500 of SA’s more than 8,500 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

The institute said on Monday that 8,515 new cases had been reported, taking the total number of confirmed infections to 3,316,585.

“Our efforts are good as people are willing to respond. We have gone beyond the awareness phase. Everyone knows there’s a free vaccine,” Simelane said on Tuesday.

“The vaccine will not make you a Satanist, cannibal or lead to infertility.

“The rising infections are a cause for concern, but not surprising due to the high number of domestic visitors. We expected the infections to rise in the festive period.

“We appeal to visitors and residents to keep vaccination on top of their minds. This applies especially to vulnerable family members.”

She called on people to behave responsibly.

“It’s important that sexual responsibility must be observed. Condoms must be used because they are also freely available. Do not be carried away and forget to be safe.

“Non-pharmaceutical interventions [against Covid-19] must also be observed all the time.”

So far the province has vaccinated about 2.7-million people, the MEC said.  

Asked about vaccine hesitancy, Simelane said about 20,000 health workers were not inoculated yet. “We can’t force them. We can only appeal and make them understand the importance of vaccinating.”

TimesLIVE