Bhisho spells out plan to vaccinate 3.7 million people

The Eastern Cape government has given itself at least six months to roll out the Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

It wants to give 3.7 million people the vaccine, with 200,000 health-care workers — both in the public and private sector — targeted as part of phase one.

For the mass rollout, premier Oscar Mabuyane’s spokesperson Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha on Wednesday said they would use community halls and schools to give residents the vaccine.

Provincial health department head Dr Sibongile Zungu told parliament’s health portfolio committee on Wednesday that they wanted to use schools and community halls because they feared they may encounter problems with vaccination distribution to far-flung areas of the province.