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UFS Qwaqwa staff embrace vaccination message

03 September 2021 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe

IMG_20210902_091126 copy — “This way please” UFS Clinic nurses point the way. From left to right: Sister Nangamso Lukhubeni, Sister Noluthando Luthuli, Sister Mathapelo Moloi, and Sister Modiehi Moloi.

Fully vaccinated!

These were the words uttered by many Qwaqwa staff members who received their second Pfizer jab at the vaccination site on the Qwaqwa Campus on Thursday (2 September 2021). More than 100 staff members turned up at the site, many for the second jab, while others were there to get their first. The staff members were full of praise for the convenience of having a site on campus, and said the brisk service made the entire process a breeze. The 24/7 Study Centre on campus was repurposed as a vaccination site at the end of August, bringing much-needed relief to staff and students, as well as the Qwaqwa community.

The vaccination experience

Chelly König, Professional Officer in the Department of Chemistry, urged people to trust the science behind the vaccine and the fact that it works. König also came with her relatives. “I’m fully vaccinated and feeling fantastic. I’d urge anyone who’s still hesitant to trust the sciences; these people know what they are doing. My aunt, who is 62, developed COVID-19 after getting her two jabs, and she didn’t experience any effects at all. It was just like the flu. Seeing her recovery convinced me that the vaccine works.”

Ntswaki Mokoena of Bidvest Prestige Cleaning Services also received her second jab. She said: “I am fully vaccinated and so happy. I’ve experienced no side effects whatsoever, and I encourage people to vaccinate; the vaccine is harmless. They should not listen to naysayers who haven’t even vaccinated.”

Calling on more people to vaccinate

Sister Mathapelo Moloi, Chief Officer at the campus clinic, said the vaccination drive was a source of pride for the campus. “Our priority is to re-open the campus, so I’m very happy that we are seeing staff and students being willing to get vaccinated.”

“It’s not the first time that there has been hesitancy around the vaccine. Providing information is our priority – to help them understand the side effects and everything pertaining to the vaccine.”

Acting Director of Student Affairs on Qwaqwa Campus, Zakhele Mdluli, said vaccinations would help the university community get back to normal. “I encourage students to get vaccinated so that they are able to come back to campus knowing that everyone is safe. This vaccination is no different from the vaccinations we used to get when we were younger.”

The centre operates Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 15:00. People can pre-register either online at https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za or via WhatsApp on +27 0 60 012 3456 and should bring along their identity documents. The site is open to anyone 18 years and older. They can simply walk in – no bookings are required.”

News Archive

UFS team helps a pupil to hear again

2014-01-24

“I was scared at first. I could not remember the sound of my own voice. Being Deaf -it was like living on another planet.”

These are the words of the 18-year-old Andile (Godfrey) Jantjies after he heard sounds and words for the first time in almost 12 months.

Andile, a former pupil at the Albert Moroka School in Thaba Nchu, was the recipient of a cochlear implantation under the Bloemfontein Cochlear Implant Programme (BCIP) run by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of the Free State.

Andile lost his hearing after contracting bacterial meningitis in June 2013. This resulted in bilateral profound deafness and despite his good academic record, his school refused to have him enrolled for 2014.

The cochlear implant was inserted in October 2013 and was switched on for the first time on Thursday 23 January 2014.

“I want to go back immediately,” Andile said excitedly after gradually becoming comfortable with hearing his own and other voices.

Dr Iain Butler from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology says cases like Andile’s are a medical emergencies due to the fact that meningitis causes the inner ear to become replaced by bone.

“This can occur after as little as four months after the infection and means that the insertion of a cochlear implant becomes impossible.

A cochlear implant system costs approximately R220 000.

It converts sounds/speech into electrical signals that directly stimulate the auditory nerve, bypassing the damaged inner ear. It is indicated for babies with congenital hearing loss, as well as acquired hearing loss in children or adults. It requires intensive rehabilitation in order to learn to hear again, and most recipients develop very good hearing. Andile now has the opportunity to hear again, continue his schooling and become an economically independent member of society, rather than being dependent on others.

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