What to expect next week with our vaccinations while protecting our ‘bubbles’ | Western Cape Government

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What to expect next week with our vaccinations while protecting our ‘bubbles’

26 June 2021

The Western Cape Department of Health received a big tranche of 191 880 Pfizer vaccines which will enable us to rapidly ramp up our vaccination drive over the next two weeks, ensuring more people are vaccinated quicker. To balance the previous relatively lower vaccines availability in rural areas, we will boost our supply of vaccines to rural areas.

Between 17 May and 18 June, the province received 294 840 vaccines. As at 24 June we have utilized 98.1% of these to vaccinate 289 400 people. In addition, 91 732 health workers were also vaccinated in Phase 1, bringing the combined total of people vaccinated in the province to 381 132.

 

What to expect next week (28 June – 2 July
On 24 June, we received 191 880 vaccines which, means the Department will now be able to increase its weekly targets to 80 000 for week 7 (28 June – 2 July) and 100 000 the following week. (40% to rural areas)

 

Vaccination site
We anticipate we will have 192 active vaccination sites during the week to come. The names of the sites per area will be updated on our registration dashboard over the weekend and can be viewed here: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/vaccine-dashboard

 

What we kno
By now, we all know how the virus spreads, which is mainly at social gatherings – whether big or small – and enhanced by crowding and poor ventilation. The Department’s surveillance teams continue to pick up many cluster outbreaks stemming from social gatherings such as family/friend gatherings, funerals, bowling and sporting events, braai’s, etc. 

Now, more than ever, it is crucial in us flattening the curve, by Ensuring that we minimize (or avoid) all social settings outside our immediate home environment.

 

Protecting your “bubble” and your “air space
A bubble is your immediate household members whom you are in contact with daily. This is your ‘safe space’. But you put yourself and your household at risk if you attend gatherings with people outside of your household bubble. When members in the immediate household have contact with others outside (who all have their own household bubbles) this puts the immediate members of your household bubble at risk. You may think you have a small bubble, but actually we have an “extended” bubble – and we should monitor the activity carefully of all individuals in the wider bubble. Your bubble is only as safe as all the people in it.

We know it is difficult, but you can only keep your bubble safe by not coming into contact with persons outside of your small household bubble. Your chances of coming into contact with a person who has COVID is now much greater than it was a few weeks ago. Each of has has the responsibility of keeping our households and our extended bubbles as safe as possible by being extra careful.

Thus let’s keep this behavior going for the next few weeks, to break the chain of transmission and flatten the curve.

We can avoid a transmission chain from setting in by protecting our air space. 

  • Avoid all large gatherings; 
  • Avoid any social gatherings where possible; 
  • If you need to go out to do activities such as shopping, always wear your mask and keep it short;
  • If you must meet, keep it outdoors, small and short; 
  • When indoors, dress warmly and ensure the windows are open so your space is well ventilated with fresh air;
  • If sick, stay home