President Cyril Ramaphosa remarked during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday evening that if he hadn’t received the vaccine before contracting COVID-19 in December 2021, he might not be standing on the podium at Cape Town City Hall today.
Ramaphosa tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time since the virus initially arrived in South Africa in March 2020, and his second fight with the potentially fatal infection left him feeling sick.
Ramaphosa expressed satisfaction with South Africa’s progress in the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, saying that 30 million doses had been provided to a skeptic population.
He stressed that the only approach to combat COVID-19 is to get vaccinated, and that he can attest for the vaccine’s capacity to prevent some of the virus’s more severe symptoms.
“A significant number of South Africans have been vaccinated which is a milestone that many countries in the continent have not yet achieved yet,” he said.
“Vaccines are the best defence against COVID-19, and I can attest to that on a personal level.”
Ramaphosa said that the State of Disaster laws that govern the implementation of lockdown regulations may soon come to an end, but maintained that these decisions will continue to be made based on vaccine mandates. He said that guidelines for the new laws will soon be implemented under the National Health Act instead.
“If we all get vaccinated, continue to observe basic health measures and remain ever vigilant, we will be able to get on with our lives even with the virus in our midst,” he said.
A total of 30 397 806 vaccines have been administered as of 9 February 2022.