​The City’s Public Safety department is calling on all frontliners who are yet to take the Covid-19 jab to shrug off their hesitation in a bid to bolster efforts to achieve herd immunity.

Scores of public safety personnel, including JMPD officers, Emergency Management Service (EMS) officials, and disaster management employees, have already received the Covid-19 vaccine; however, the take-up has been slow.
Nokulunga Moeti, an occupational health and safety nurse, says the law does not permit the department to force its staff to vaccinate but encourages frontliners to take the jab as soon as it’s practicable.

“We want all frontliners to be vaccinated because so many of our colleagues have died in the line of duty since the outbreak of the coronavirus,” Moeti says.

Firefighter Innocentia Kgagamedi, who is one of the first EMS personnel to get the jab, says the Covid-19 vaccine offers her some protection when handling people.

Kgagamedi admits that although she was initially reluctant to take the jab, she now encourages those who are yet to get it to do so urgently to minimise the chance of dealing with severe symptoms or hospitalisation.

According to the EMS Director of Strategic Support, Nomathemba Mtshali, the slow vaccine take-up is due to a lack of information among staff.

“I appreciate the efforts made by the Public Safety department in educating all staff members about the benefits of taking the vaccine.”

EMS spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi, says all senior managers in the department have already received the Covid-19 jab to encourage those who report to them to do the same thing in fighting the vicious spread of the coronavirus.

Mulaudzi cautions, however, that it’s still important for vaccinated individuals to adhere to the rules and regulations of Covid-19 by continuing to wear a mask, maintaining a safe distance, and sanitising regularly.

Written by Dakalo Ramudidibi.

24/1/2022