The mining industry said it can carry out between 60,000 and 80,000 vaccines per day. It said it’s working on getting facilities accredited to vaccinate employees and surrounding communities.
The sector said it will cost at least R300-million to innoculate mineworkers and mining communities.
Dr Thuthula Balfour, head of health at Minerals Council South Africa said: “Regarding the mining industry, we are working essentially through Busa to ensure that as an industry we will be able to vaccinate our own employees and also be able to vaccine surrounding communities where this is possible.
We are already having our sites accredited by the department so that they will be able to vaccinate,” Balfour said.
The industry said it will promote awareness about the importance of the vaccine. It said people should be inoculated to stop the virus from being a threat to lives and livelihoods.
“It’s very clear the vaccine is voluntary, it’s not compulsory but we are doing everything to educate employees,” Balfour said.
“We will also be part of educating the population at large, saying there’s everything to be gained from being vaccinated because then it means we will stop the pandemic and we as South Africans will be able to go back to work.
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Source: eNCA
