CAPE TOWN - South Africa has sufficient supplies of vaccines, with vaccine stations set up in every part of the country.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said this in his weekly newsletter published on Monday, wherein he also announced that the Presidency would soon convene a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council to review the state of the pandemic.
Ramaphosa said, over the past week, the number of daily infections had increased five-fold, with nearly a quarter of all Covid-19 tests returning as positive.
"While the surge in infections is of great concern, we should remember that we anticipated it.
"Disease modellers in our country have told us that we would likely experience a fourth wave around this time and that it was almost inevitable that new variants of the virus would emerge.
"South Africa now has sufficient supplies of vaccines, and we have vaccine stations set up in every part of the country. As every day passes and as infections rise, the reasons to get vaccinated become more compelling, and the need becomes ever more urgent.
"Social distancing is difficult as the festive season approaches, but the evidence shows that gatherings – mainly those held indoors – carry the greatest risk of transmission. Many people have been disappointed by the cancellation of some big events in recent days, but it is by far the safest and most responsible thing to do now.
"Fortunately, we all know what we need to do, such as wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding crowds. Now we just need to make sure that we do these things more consistently and without exception."
Cape Times