Zikalala Announces Third Wave Contingency Plan

By: Bongani Gina & Mfundo Mabaso

KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Sihle Zikalala, says this province has so far managed to vaccinate 416 967 senior citizens and more than 68 000 teachers and support staff.

Briefing the media in Durban, Zikalala says above this they’ve also managed to vaccinate more than 130 000 health care workers.

He says the province has 152 vaccination sites currently open and active.

The Premier adds that COVID-19 vaccines that are administered in this province are 80% effective to the newly discovered Delta variant.

The province is currently using Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

KZN now has an average of 753 positive cases per day.

He says this is an increase of about 37%  compared to statistics from the previous week.

“As the Province we have data that indicate that the Delta Virus has been detected in six of our districts. These districts are Harry Gwala, Ethekwini, Zululand, King Cetshwayo, Ugu, Ilembe,” says Zikalala.

On the third wave contingency plan, Zikalala says the province has employed, on a contractual basis, about 15 000 staff members to help boost their capacity to fight the spread of this pandemic.

These posts include Professional Nurses (General), Professional Nurses (Specialty), Staff Nurses Nursing, Assistants Administration Clerks, Cleaners and Porters, Physiotherapists, Radiographers, Clinical Psychologists, Audiologists, Optometrists and Data captures.

Zikalala adds that all is going according to plan regarding bed capacity as the province currently has 2 494 isolation beds, as well as 1411 quarantine beds that are dedicated to COVID-19.