Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa received his Pfizer booster shot on Saturday in Mahikeng, North West.
According to Times Live, this was after almost 13 months after getting his jab at Khayelitsha District Hospital in Cape Town.
Ramaphosa, who was in Mahikeng for the inaugural Presidential Imbizo at the Mmabatho stadium, walked to a small health service centre stationed in the vicinity to get his booster shot soon after leaving the stadium, the report said.
“Just took my booster shot. I feel much more protected now and I encourage everyone to do it. It’s fast and simple and it’s the only way we can endure that we are protecting ourselves fully against Covid-19,” Ramaphosa tweeted soon after receiving his shot.
Just took my booster shot. I feel much more protected now and I encourage everyone to do it. It’s fast and simple and it’s the only way we can endure that we are protect ourselves fully against COVID-19 #PresidentialImbizo pic.twitter.com/xzeKyKUveK
— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? (@CyrilRamaphosa) March 12, 2022
Western Cape Health MEC Nomafrech Mbombo thanked the president for leading by example by being one of the first people to get vaccinated in the country, and for leading “the vaccination campaign with excellence…”
Thank you President for allowing yourself to be the first five people to be vaccinated in South Africa. You have led the vaccination campaign with excellence and I thank you for that. pic.twitter.com/GDx7ezQiZy
— Western Cape Health MEC (@WCHealthMEC) March 12, 2022
Earlier, the president urged South Africans to get their booster Covid-19 shots, as the country had not yet defeated the pandemic.
“If you have already been vaccinated go and get your booster shot. I am getting my booster shot here in Mahikeng. I want to encourage all of us to vaccinate and ensure that we are all vaccinated.
“Other nations are imposing further lockdowns because there has suddenly been a flare up. We are not yet out of the woods, Covid-19 is still here, therefore it is important that we should be protected through vaccination,” the South Africa Government News Agency quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, the report said that the National Coronavirus Command Council was considering extending the National State of Disaster beyond 15 March 2022.
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Ramaphosa placed South Africa on its first lockdown for 21 days from March 26 to April 16, 2020. This was during the height of the Covid-19 infections.
The decision was taken through the advice of scientists in the national coronavirus command council and the cabinet.
Since then, Ramaphosa has continued to place the country under various lockdown levels, as he responds to developments in the infection rate.
The country is currently on a less severe level 1.
Last week, the leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), John Steenhuisen reportedly called for an end to Covid-19 restrictions, saying they were now pointless and were harming the economy.
“Covid-19 is no longer a greater threat, it’s time to treat it the same way we treat other health risks such as HIV, TB, cancer, and maternal mortality,” EWN quoted Steenhuisen as saying.
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Picture: Twitter/@WCHealthMEC
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Compiled by Khaya Dondolo
