Reply:

 

Three Vooma Weekends have been held, namely 3-5 October 2021, 12-14 November 2021 and 3-5 December 2021. Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday is regarded as a “weekend”.

The impact of Vooma weekends (in increasing vaccinations) was independently evaluated by Genesis-Analytics.

Vooma I: 3-5 October 2021: A total of 372,252 vaccinations were conducted over the three day period, and this upward trend was sustained through the following week. The weekday average in the week following of 106,393 compared to average of 84,121 for weekdays in the previous 2 weeks (excluding the Heritage Day holiday).

Overall, Vooma achieved a 25% increase in first dose vaccinations compared to trends over the previous month. Excluding Friday (which is a normal weekday), the number of vaccinations over the weekend was 141% more than expected from 2-3 Oct. First dose vaccinations were 138% higher than expected.

Vooma II: 12-14 November 2021: A total of 263,564 vaccinations were conducted over the three day period. Excluding Friday (which is a normal weekday), the number of vaccinations over the weekend was 95% more than expected from 12-14 Nov. First dose vaccinations were 79% higher than expected and second dose vaccinations were 116% higher than expected.

Vooma III: 3-5 December 2021: Evaluation of this weekend is underway, but only a total of 227,490 vaccinations were recorded. This number excludes paper records still to be captured. Unfortunately rainy weather in most parts of the country reduced attendance.

Statistical analysis of the first Vooma weekend found that the strongest driver of vaccinations was the availability of open sites, which in turn requires staffing. The availability of funding for overtime payment of staff is a constraint in a number of provinces. In addition to site availability, this analysis showed that average vaccinations at sites were 34% higher, indicating that the support by political and other leaders as well as greater publicity has the effect of increasing vaccinations.

END.