In its bid to help curb the spread of the third wave in parts of the country, the automotive manufacturer will vaccinate its employees and service providers at its Rosslyn-based plant in Pretoria.

The free vaccination roll-out plan is line with the South African Department of Health’s national programme, which aims to achieve population immunity by the end of 2021.

Nissan South Africa’s Country Director Kabelo Rabotho said they were pleased that the Nissan South Africa medical station has been registered as a COVID-19 vaccination site, allowing them to vaccinate employees and service providers on site. Vaccination on site will follow the same phases as the national government in terms of the age groups permitted to register and be vaccinated over a specific period.

“To ensure proper storage, handling and administration of approximately 5 000 COVID-19 vaccines, Nissan has partnered with Dis-Chem through OHS Care to secure and store the vaccines and deliver the required quantities to the plant,” explains Shafick Solomons, NSA Plant Director and COVID-19 Task Team Chairperson.

In complying with the South African national vaccination roll-out plan, Nissan has also applied for access to register interested employees on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) for their convenience. This move will allow Nissan to register as many employees as possible.

“Our medical team has been trained on how to use and administer the vaccine. In addition to the vaccination roll-out, Nissan will continue to support employees with COVID-19 information awareness, providing basic hygiene tools such as face masks and personal hand sanitiser,” says Shafick.