Minerals Council plans Vooma vaccination campaign for Oct 18 to 22

13th October 2021 By: Creamer Media Reporter

The Minerals Council South Africa and its members are aligned with the government’s Vooma vaccination drive and will intensify ongoing efforts by launching a focussed campaign from October 18 to 22.

The Minerals Council board has set a target of having 80% of the industry’s 450 000 employees partially vaccinated by the end of October and for 80% of employees be fully vaccinated by mid-December.

As of last week, 232 606 employees and contractors of Minerals Council member companies had been fully or partially vaccinated, representing about half of the overall workforce.

“The industry started planning for vaccinations in February. In close cooperation with the Department of Health (DoH) and Business Unity South Africa, a first pilot site began operating in May and, since then, 52 vaccination sites have come on stream.

"Now is the time to switch up into another gear,” says Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter.

The mining industry’s Vooma Vaccination Week will involve intensified vaccination initiatives, including addressing concerns expressed by some workers about volunteering to be vaccinated.

The campaign will assure employees about the efficacy, safety and protective nature of the vaccines, and the fact that being vaccinated both enables individuals to live with fewer restraints and is a service to their families and friends, and the communities and the country in which we live.

Being fully vaccinated, employees will qualify for the government-issued vaccination certificate ahead of going home for their year-end holiday. The certificate will be used for travel and tourism, sport and recreational events, music festivals and shops that are providing discounts and prizes for people who are fully vaccinated.