Everyone is talking about ‘post-Covid’. Does this mean we don’t need Covid vaccines and boosters anymore? The Planner Guru posed this question to Professor Cheryl Cohen, who is the Head of the Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). This is her answer:
I think people should get all the booster vaccines for which they are eligible. My reasons are as follows:
- Immunity and protection from vaccines wanes over time
- We expect to see recurrent “waves” or seasons of Covid – the periodicity and timing of these remains unknown but it is likely we will see an increase in the coming months
- While Covid-19 severity is less in people with previous infection or vaccination, there is strong evidence that additional boosters improve protection and Covid -19 can still cause severe disease and also substantial disruption through milder illness
South Africa’s National Health Department has confirmed that free Covid vaccination services will remain available at designated sites around the country. You can find a listing of these sites on sacoronavirus.co.za or at findmyjab.co.za. If you need to register on the Electronic Vaccination Data System, you can do so at vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/
