Mobile wellness bus takes vaccination directly to dairy farmworkers

Western Cape Government Health is continuing efforts to bring the COVID-19 vaccination programme directly to farming communities as we aim to improve access to vaccines.

This week, our Mobile Wellness Bus visited the Fair Cape Diary Farm, just outside of Durbanville, to vaccinate farmworkers in the area. Workers were assisted with registration and vaccination on the same day.

Theuns Verwey, aged 40, says he is grateful as healthcare workers brought the vaccination service closer to home.

“This is something good. I feel good. It’s better for us to be vaccinated here, instead of going to the day hospital. We are very grateful for this.”

Jolene Squire, aged 52, shared her experience after being vaccinated and thanked the Department.

“I feel very satisfied with what the Department is doing for us at Fair Cape. I thank God for it. If they didn’t come to us, I don’t know what would have happened. Some people were hesitant about the vaccine, and then we’d have to travel to Durbanville or Atlantis. Now it’s been brought to us. After my vaccination, I feel happy, I feel fine. I know this is being done for us because healthcare workers care about us.”

Estelle Ekim, a Fair Cape employee, says the initiative boosted staff morale. “I personally think that this was a very good initiative. Many people are not able to get to or travel to different healthcare facilities for vaccination. It boosted staff morale.”

Fair Cape Diary Farm Human Resources Director Jacques du Preez says they mobilised staff, together with the Department, for vaccination.

“Many farmworkers may not have the facilities to get to vaccine centres. They would need to spend their own money and use their personal time to get their vaccine. We’re running our site with the Department’s support to allow farmworkers to get vaccinated on the Wellness Bus. We put up posters for a while to promote vaccination among our workers and we invite people in. We are picking up farmworkers with buses to bring them for vaccination.”

The Wellness Bus has travelled to rural communities Philadelphia, Fisantekraal and Klipheuwel over the last few weeks to vaccinate rural communities and will now be stationed at the Fair Cape Dairy Farm until Thursday, 12 August.

The local district health team will continue to visit rural communities in the coming weeks, to ensure that no resident is left behind during the vaccination programme.

We encourage all residents to use the opportunity to be vaccinated to when the bus visits their community, as vaccination can prevent severe disease, while providing protection against COVID-19 related hospitalisation and death.