Picture: David Ritchie
The City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government have worked together on the mass vaccination site.
The City was to lead final preparations, with the goal of finishing the project by the end of June. The Western Cape Government will be in charge of site management.
Once vaccinations are delivered, the CTICC can operate at full capacity.
“Just over one year ago our teams worked quickly and efficiently to convert the CTICC into the Western Cape’s first major field hospital, our hospital of hope, and it became a place of healing for the thousands of residents who received life-saving treatment there. I’m excited to once again be working at full speed to open this world-class conferencing venue to residents across the City of Cape Town, enabling a radical increase in life-saving vaccinations. It is our intention for it to be a Centre of Hope in our City and Province within a few weeks,” said Western Cape Premier Alan Winde.
Mr Winde said at its peak, the centre would be able to vaccinate approximately 4 000 people every day, thanks to its 50 vaccination stations, each of which can deliver 100 vaccinations each day.
Mayor Dan Plato said: “There are currently detailed plans in place for the opening of several more mass sites in the Metro. The City is excited to partner with the provincial government on these projects where we can so that we ensure that residents have better access to vaccines”.
According to the provincial government, as at 1pm on Monday June 14, the Western Cape had 8 037 active Covid-19 infections, with a total number of 302 232 Covid-19 cases to date and 282 234 recoveries.
Mr Winde said we have entered a third wave of Covid-19 infections and there is an increase in infections across the province.
“I call on residents to practice the lifesaving behaviours that we have learnt over the past year to stop the spread of Covid-19. These include washing and sanitising your hands regularly and wearing your mask correctly. This means replacing or washing your mask after each use and ensuring that it covers both your mouth and nose at all times. You must also ensure that you maintain a safe distance. Please avoid all non-essential gatherings. However, if you must meet, please ensure that you keep it short, small and outside – with good ventilation. It is also crucial that you avoid the 3Cs of confined places, crowded spaces and close contact. By adhering to these important steps, we can flatten the curve and save lives.”
Seniors can register for a vaccine by:
Visiting https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/ or www.westerncape.gov.za;
Dialing *134*832# and follow the prompts (FREE on all South African Networks); or
WhatsApping the word REGISTER to 0600 123456.