LETTER: A clarion call for all agricultural sector workers to get vaccinated

A clarion call has been made for all role players in the agricultural and agro-possessing sectors to ensure they are vaccinated, because that will go a long way to ensure continued food production in SA.

It is important to increase the number of people who vaccinate, because that will improve the chances of ensuring economic activity and livelihoods in the country continue with minimal interruption.

Our ability to thrive as a country is intricately linked to our health. Health is an essential component of being human; both the positive and negative connotations have deep resonance with the human psyche. The greatest natural resource a society has is its people, and our success depends on how they are nurtured and cared for. When we are sick, hurt and dying, the consequences extend beyond the personal, affecting families, communities, the economy and the wellbeing of our nation.

This sector is also important in terms of employment as it has consistently maintained more than 750,000 jobs over the medium term. Based on its potential effect on economic growth and job creation, it has been identified as one of the key sectors to drive SA's economic recovery.

That is why all of us in the sector need to be fully vaccinated, so that we can continue to play our important role. Over 10-million vaccines have been administered in SA to date, with 4-million people fully vaccinated. Scientific evidence confirms that vaccinated people stand a better chance of surviving Covid-19 than the unvaccinated. Therefore, we must all dispel the unfounded and misleading conspiracy theories about the vaccines and choose life by vaccinating.

I encourage all unvaccinated people, especially in our sector, to get vaccinated because vaccines protect us from getting seriously ill from Covid-19 and it’s saving lives.

Tshepo Diale,Via email

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