A South African police officer walks through a looted store in Vosloorus, Johannesburg on 12 July 2021.
Link to the source article >> https://healthpolicy-watch.news/covid-19-vaccine-rollout-halted-in-parts-of-south-africa-due-to-civil-unrest/
JOHANNESBURG – Violent unrest in South Africa has had a disastrous impact on the country’s healthcare and emergency services and has brought the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out to a near standstill in at least two provinces, as the country continues to battle with a third wave of the pandemic.
On Tuesday, the national health department temporarily halted vaccinations in the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces where sites have been affected by the ongoing looting and unrest in the country. The setback comes as the country is trying to contain COVID-19 infections with a strict curfew, a ban on alcohol sales and restrictions on movement. The majority of daily infections (80 640 on 12 July ) are recorded in Gauteng.
Parts of the two provinces experienced mayhem with several businesses looted, destroyed and set ablaze. Chaos descended following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma on 7 July for contempt of court for refusing to appear before a commission of inquiry into corruption.
The country’s biggest pharmaceutical chains, Dis-Chem and Clicks, on Monday also announced that they will not be open for regular business or COVID-19 vaccines in KwaZulu-Natal following violence including shops being looted and set ablaze.
Discovery Medical Scheme, the biggest medical-scheme administrator in SA, closed all its vaccination sites except one in Cape Town on Tuesday. The company said it was prioritising the safety of its staff and would reopen when possible.
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