The Van der Stel Sports Club is currently being used as the central hub for Covid-19 vaccinations in the Stellenbosch area.
This was according to Sister Laurette Robyn, one of the vaccinators working at the Van der Stel Sports Club. The administration of vaccines to individuals 60 years and older began at this venue on 31 May, she said.
“Since starting the roll-out to people in this age group (60 and up) in the Stellenbosch area, we have vaccinated 1 384 people (31 May to 4 June). While we have been vaccinating at Van Der Stel Hall, another team has been visiting homes for the elderly to vaccinate residents who registered [for vaccines],” said Robyn in email correspondence with MatieMedia.
Candidates wait to be vaccinated outside the Van der Stel Hall at the Van der Stel Sports Club. “It has been quite overwhelming, as people are very eager to be vaccinated,” said Sister Laurette Robyn, a vaccinator at the site. PHOTO: Alistair Seymour
Stellenbosch Municipality owns the sports club, and is playing an active role in facilitating the vaccination process, according to Shaun Martins, the facilities manager at Van der Stel Sports Club.
“[The sports club] is the central point, and then from here we will have teams that will move out to Klapmuts and Raithby,” he said.
Martins told MatieMedia that most people appreciate the work that the local municipalities, along with the Western Cape Department of Health, have been doing to vaccinate registered candidates.
“It was well-organised…it flowed well and went in an orderly manner. We feel great! We were in and out without issues,” said Marian de Jager, a local resident who was vaccinated at the Van der Stel Sports Club.
Setbacks in the vaccination process
Some registered vaccination candidates, who have received SMS’s from the Western Cape Department of Health confirming when they can be vaccinated, do not fully understand the SMS system, according to Robyn.
“The Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) is a national system. It sends out the SMS’s to confirm your registration, and the SMS to indicate when and where you can be vaccinated,” said Robyn. Not all candidates realise that the date and location that they receive in the second SMS is for a fixed vaccination appointment, which they must attend in order to receive the vaccine, she explained.
Liesbet Balula (61) is vaccinated by Sister Ebrahim in the Van der Stel hall at the Van der Stel sports club. PHOTO: Supplied/Sandra Maritz
Some candidates have also experienced anxiety during the vaccination process, according to Robyn. This can slow down the process, as the vaccinators aim to ensure that each individual has a good experience, she explained.
“We have a two-queue system at the vaccination site. We prioritise people who have appointments, and do our best to assist people who arrive without appointments,” she added.
Candidates being briefed outside the Van der Stel vaccination centre by a health officer. If candidates have already contracted Covid-19, they have to wait 90 days before getting the vaccine. PHOTO: Alistair Seymour
Regarding vaccine hesitancy, Robyn explained that “information remains key. [P]eople must be mindful of the sources [of information], especially before sharing something that was passed on to you.”