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Vaccines are working well in preventing Covid-19 infections in health workers in Gauteng as only 257 were infected in the third wave this year compared to 929 in the first wave last year.

This good news is revealed by Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Mokgethi, the number of health workers infected in the various waves were as follows:

1st wave in 2020 - 929

2nd wave in 2020/21 - 376

3rd wave in 2021 - 257

Mokgethi says that “these are the early indicators of the effectiveness of vaccinations.”

Health workers were first to be vaccinated in Gauteng earlier this year as part of the Sisonke J&J vaccine trial.

It is significant that a lot fewer health workers were infected in the devastating third wave in June to August this year, which was more than double the peak of the first two waves.

The DA encourages everyone to get vaccinated so that the expected fourth wave of infections is lessened and has fewer deaths.

Issued by DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health,  Jack Bloom MPL