News
Mass Vaccination Centre of Hope Opens in Cape Town
7 July 2021
The City of Cape Town, Western Cape Government and Discovery Health have opened Cape Town’s first mass vaccination facility at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Dubbed the Vaccination Centre of Hope, the facility is expected to administer over 750 000 vaccinations between July and December, playing a critical role in Cape Town and the Western Cape’s vaccination programme.
Earlier this week, Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Discovery Group Executive Adrian Gore conducted an oversight visit to the new facility. A virtual tour was also conducted with the public and the media, who joined online, to help create awareness.
Premier Winde said the vaccination centre was a pioneering collaboration that showed what is possible when the private and public sector work together.
“I am so proud to see this collaboration take shape, demonstrating what is possible when we work together with the private sector to deliver quality services to our residents. I hope this is the beginning of many more joint projects in this space.”
In line with this pioneering partnership,
- The City of Cape Town worked to make the site fully operational before handing it over to the Western Cape Government and Discovery Health.
- The Western Cape Government will be primarily responsible for overall coordination, supply of vaccines, clinical and facilities management.
- Discovery Health will be responsible for client experience, various aspects of the technology solution and administrative functions.
Said Mayor Plato said: “The City, Province and Discovery Health are ready to provide a significant boost to the vaccination campaign and we have urged the national government to increase its procurement and rollout of the vaccines so that more age groups can access the vaccine.”
“I am proud of all the City officials who made this site a reality through intensive and time-pressured project management. The success of the Covid-19 vaccination drive relies on a joint effort between all stakeholders, including government, the private sector, and our residents. An expanded and ramped up national vaccination rollout would bring an end to the need for further national lockdowns that harm livelihoods and impact the recovery of the economy. As a fully vaccinated resident myself, I encourage residents to come forward to receive the vaccine as soon as possible.”
The Vaccination Centre of Hope is one of the most sophisticated vaccination sites in the country, leveraging the combined resources and capacity of both the public and private sector, and thereby accelerating access to vaccination for greater numbers of residents.
This is a welcomed boost for South Africa’s vaccination programme, said CEO of Discovery Health, Dr Ryan Noach.
“When it comes to the National mass vaccination rollout, there is strong alignment between saving lives and saving livelihoods – two inseparable priorities. This site will contribute significantly to the national target to provide access to COVID-19 vaccination for 41.7 million adults in South Africa, to reach population immunity and prevent further waves of infection,” said Dr Noach.
The centre is one of the biggest vaccination sites in South Africa.
- 50 vaccination stations are operational at the site, with the related administrative and support staff in place to support operations.
- This will mean that more than 4 000 people can be vaccinated per day when it reaches its full operational capacity.
- Onsite registration is possible at the site, to help those who need assistance.
- Vaccinations are free of charge for everyone visiting the site, enabled by payment agreements between medical aids and the Western Cape Department of Health to provide a hassle-free experience to all residents.
- The site has sophisticated cold-chain refrigeration, waste management processes and IT infrastructure, and the capability to administer both the Pfizer-BioNTech double dose and Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccines.
“The COVID-19 vaccines used in South Africa are approved by SAHPRA and are safe. They are also proven, through rigorous tests, to provide excellent protection against severe COVID-19 related illness. That is why it is important that every single person gets vaccinated as soon as possible. I urge you to register when it is your turn, so that we can fight back against COVID-19 and continue to save lives and livelihoods.” concluded Premier Winde.
