Press Release : 

27th July 2021

 #VacciNation ~ When Community, Innovation and Our Health System Connect: 

The Gauteng Department of Health COVID-19 vaccination drive-thru site at the Houghton Masjid (West Street) is part of the latest and innovative mobilisation steps taken by the Department for the vaccine rollout. 

Gauteng Department of Health in collaboration with the Muslim Association of South Africa (MASA) and the Houghton Muslim Jamaat Trust (HMJT) have opened the #VacciNation site at the Houghton Masjid (West Street), 45 West street, Houghton, situated in the North of Johannesburg.

Volunteers working with MASA and the Houghton Masjid (West Street) began administering vaccines on Tuesday morning, 27 July 2021, in n a unique “drive-thru” set up in the parking area of the Mosque.

Vaccinations will continue weekly from Monday to Thursday and on Saturday’s from 8am to 4pm. 

‘It shows great leadership to have a community become part of the solution to the pandemic and I am very impressed at the results this partnership keeps showing” said a Gauteng Premier David Makhura on a site visit with Guateng MEC of Health Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi.

“We have often heard that the coronavirus does not discriminate. Neither should the vaccine, its important that we ensure that no one is left behind’ said Yaseen Theba, chairman of MASA. During this pandemic, the most vulnerable have been the hardest hit … We must increase our resilience. We must work together and take an integrated approach to health, hunger, climate, and equity crisis — no one is safe from COVID-19 until everyone is safe, Theba Added

“We are delighted to be able to assist the Department in facilitating this drive-thru vaccination site and we  implore on our community to take advantage of this site in order to get as many eligible people as possible to come forward and get vaccinated” said XXXXX from the Houghton Masjid. 

Local doctor, Dr Zaheer Kader welcomed this initiative and said,  “We look forward to the next few days which have been planned based on the response of this mornings vaccine programme here at the Houghton Masjid” 

More pop-up clinics in the area and across Johannesburg are expected to be organised in the coming weeks to make sure people have easy access to vaccinations in trusted community settings.

For more information follow @MuslimAssocSA on Twitter and Instagram or go to www.muslim.org.za 

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