The Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town announced on Thursday, 10 June that the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) will be turned into a mass vaccination site.
In a statement, they said the joint operation is an important endeavour and they plan to have formal contracts signed imminently with the CTICC and will roll out in the next 3 to 4 weeks.
Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, said: “Just over one year ago, our teams worked quickly and efficiently to convert the CTICC into the Western Cape’s first major field hospital, our ‘Hospital of Hope’, and it became a place of healing for the thousands of residents who received life-saving treatment there. I’m excited to once again be working at full speed to open this world-class conferencing venue to residents across the City of Cape Town, enabling a radical increase in life-saving vaccinations. It is our intention for it to be a Centre of Hope in our City and Province within a few weeks.”
It is envisaged that the site will be used for high volumes of vaccinations as part of both the Province and City’s commitment to vaccinating as many of our residents as possible against Covid-19.
“The City of Cape Town begun preparation for the site in March 2021. Work included project management, concept design and costing. These plans were shared with the Provincial government who, after several engagements with the City, made the decision to utilise the CTICC in this regard,” said Mayor Dan Plato.
The City will drive final preparations in the coming week with the aim of completing the project before the end of June, and the Western Cape Government will be responsible for the management of the site.
The site, however, can only work at full capacity once vaccine supplies allows it. The City is hopeful that the release of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, and the arrival of further Pfizer tranches will enable this in the next 3 weeks.
“At its peak, it is envisaged that this mass ‘vaccination centre of hope’ will be able to vaccinate over 4000 people a day. It will have up to 50 vaccination stations, with each station capable of administering 100 vaccinations per day. This will have a major impact on the pace of our vaccination programme, especially as we move to vaccinate residents under the age of 60,” said Winde.
It is intended that the CTICC will be the first of at least three major vaccination centres in Cape Town, ensuring greater access to residents across the city.
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