Thuli Madonsela on Covid-19 third wave: Let’s hang in there, vaccines are coming

As a third wave of Covid-19 infections looms, former public protector Thuli Madonsela has told followers it is not a given it will arrive if we are careful and proactive.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Thursday that despite a rise in infections over the last week, the country is technically not yet in a third wave. This as the second phase of the country’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout starts on Monday.

To help fight off the pandemic in the country, SA-born billionaire Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong offered R3bn for vaccine development capacity in the country and Africa, including development of second-generation Covid-19 vaccines. 

Madonsela welcomed the news and urged her followers to “hang in there”, saying the “vaccine is coming”.

She said in the meantime we should all be proactive in preventing the spread of the disease to prevent a third wave.

“It’s not a given that we must experience it,” she said.

Speaking on CapeTalk earlier this year, Madonsela said the government should not put all its hopes on a Covid-19 cure, and instead emphasise prevention to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

“The Disaster Management Act requires a collaborative approach where provinces are not consulted but are included. There is a difference between collaborating and consulting. 

“We should not have a situation where all answers come from government quarters because the coronavirus is an unusual challenge and we should all be putting on our thinking hats,” she said.

She later voiced her opinion on Africa “settling” for being “a market for other continents”, saying it was an indictment.

“It’s an indictment that Africa, with remarkable talent and the Ebola experience, must settle for being a market for other continents regarding Covid-19 vaccines and other innovations,” she told social media users.