Some matriculants from Camps Bay High School took it upon themselves to get vaccinated after the government made the vaccine available for people between the ages of 18 and 35.
Friends, Jules Keohane, Mia O’Dwyer, and Drew Goldie Drew were part of the millions of South Africans fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic by getting their jabs.
According to Keohane, she has been waiting for the vaccine to be made available for her age group since the vaccination rollouts began in the country.
“I didn’t want to wait any longer and so on the first available day, my friends and I went. The experience on the day was a very enjoyable and exciting one. The nurse who administered our vaccinations, Nobathembu, was easy to talk to and made the environment very relaxed. None of us had any reaction to the vaccine after 15 minutes, and over the weekend all we suffered were sore arms, which is a small price to pay,” said Keohane.
Keohane told Cape {town} Etc that getting vaccinated is a step towards everything going back to normal, or at least creating a new normal.
“I think it is enough just to know that fewer people will be suffering from a deadly virus. All of us want life to continue, and to carry on in the way we lived before 2020. And one of the ways in which we can do that is to get vaccinated. We need to start to live with the virus, rather than around it like we have been doing for the past year and a half. And vaccines will begin to let us do that,” Keohane maintains.
She added that many young people are hesitant in taking the vaccine because they haven’t been provided with the right information.
“I would say to other students that you should be taking it upon yourself to do the research. Don’t believe everything you are told, without seeing where it comes from. Fear-mongering is very real, and so if someone is passionate enough about spreading false information about the vaccine, it is easy to be scared into believing it instead of bravely challenging it. Make sure you are getting information from reliable sources, and have conversations with your friends and family about your findings,” Keohane added.
Meanwhile, the latest provincial report on COVID-19 indicates that Western Cape had 41 826 active infections, 474 104 confirmed cases, and 414 743 recoveries, as of Monday, August 23.
1/2 Update on the coronavirus and vaccines?
As at 1pm on 23 August 2021, the Western Cape had 41 826 active COVID-19 infections, with a total number 474 104 COVID-19 cases to date and 414 743 recoveries.
Statement: https://t.co/XWO7GSuTzE pic.twitter.com/pEcsehuLk7
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) August 23, 2021
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Picture: Cape{town}etc gallery