A year on, the Covid-19 pandemic still seizes and holds nations by the scruff of their naps and suffocates them to death with minimal sympathy on the dry and dreadful horizon.
Friday | March 5, 2021
Today marks one year since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in KwaZulu-Natal province. A 38-year-old Durban man was part of the South Africans (SA) who had traveled back from Italy. He is known as “patient zero” on these shores.
When this case was confirmed, very little was known about the coronavirus pandemic that was surging menacingly in the entire world. South Africa had its highest cases beginning of the winter period and dipped in Spring.
After some weeks, then the sudden rise of
coronavirus cases resurfaced in the festive season of November and December 2020 and January 2021. Thenew resurgence was sparked by what is now known as Covid-19 “501Y.V2 variant”. A direct result of coronavirus mutation(s).
In SA alone, there have been 50, 462 people confirmed dead as a result of COVID-19-related complications to date. People are still dying in double digits. As of yesterday, a total of 1, 517, 666 Covid-19 infections have been recorded in SA. The recovery rate stands at 94.6%.
But there is hope in the air than there was when the epidemic wreaked havoc. The well-known pharmaceutical giants have turned the corner and developed vaccines to limit the spread.
One year on, there are 100, 000 healthcare workers who have been inoculated in South Africa.
Variants spook vaccines
Although it is still work in progress, some of the vaccines produced so far are less effective when it comes to the second wave of the virus occasioned by the Covid-19 variants. However, the reduction of severity and deaths have been highlighted and appreciated; hence their circulation en masse.
To this day, there have been two batches of 80, 000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines delivered in this country. It believed more lots will be brought in as required. SA has not developed a vaccine, neither is working on one. But there plans afoot to do so.
During his budget speech last week, Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni set aside a hefty R10 billion for the sourcing of various vaccines from different manufacturers across the world. In addition, R9 billion has been drafted in for contingency purposes.
Jab of hope
The vaccination drive is slow and controversial. While the sluggish adoption emanates from resource challenges straining the systems, the conversation is a byproduct of procurement and the logistics that goes with it.
As if not enough, it is still a longshot before ordinary citizens will have a chance to receive vaccine jabs. The SA vaccination programme prioritizes healthcare workers before anyone else.
Second in line will be most of the public servants in the frontline of civil duty, among them are teachers and those in the security cluster. This cohort will also see the elderly and people living with co-morbidities given an injection of hope to prevent the scourge.