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HEALTHCARE NEWS
QUARTER 1 – 2021
VACCINES AND IMMUNITY
Welcome to 2021! If you haven’t taken up the challenge to improve
your health in 2020, this must be the year you take your health in
hand and do everything you can to remain healthy and build your
immune system to fight this virus and those that follow. If 2020 taught
us one thing – it was that we needed to build our bodies to fight the
invasion of viruses – not just COVID-19. The devastating impact that
this virus has had on our lives, our jobs and on our economy is still
being felt and will continue to be felt in 2021 and beyond. We need
to prepare ourselves so that this does not happen again and each
of us can only be responsible for our own body and its preparedness
for future attacks of this nature. So, it is up to you to ensure that we
beat this and future virus outbreaks.
In this issue we will discuss vaccines and ways to build up our immune system to be better
prepared for this and future virus outbreaks.
VACCINES
The Cambridge dictionary has recently announced We will watch developments closely and keep you
that ‘quarantine’ is the Word of the Year 2020 – no updated with newsflashes on our website.
explanation necessary! Perhaps the Word of the Year for
2021 will be ‘vaccine’?
The two main issues post-February are:
Many recent newspaper headlines and news
reports are all about vaccines. Which one, when can 1. South Africa has not ordered vaccines beyond
we get them, how will it be rolled out, who will get it first, February for the rest of the population and there
etc. Since it is a developing story, we will keep updating is limited supply currently.
you with our newsflash messages on the Fund’s website 2. The cost is astronomical, and the Government is
– www.wooltruhealthcarefund.co.za. negotiating with the Serum Institute in India to lower
the price – it currently would cost in the billions to
Although over 120 vaccines have been proposed get vaccines for most South Africans.
worldwide, only five candidates have completed or are
almost through final human trials. You may have heard
some of the names, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna Currently, only the Government can negotiate and obtain
and Oxford/AstraZeneca which are approved and being these vaccines. Medical aids and private companies
rolled out worldwide. cannot buy vaccines directly from the supplier.
South Africa plans to use the vaccine made jointly
by researchers at the University of Oxford and the
biotech firm, AstraZeneca. It is seen as a potential game-
changer in the global fight against the coronavirus, as it
does not have to be stored at ultra-low temperatures,
as required by the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna
alternatives. South Africa has been fortunate to be part
of the human trials, so we have first-hand experience of
its effectiveness.
South Africa will be receiving one million doses in January
and 500 000 doses in February, according to the Minister
of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize.
WHAT IS A VACCINE?
Very simply put, scientists take a virus and remove the active part that causes
illness and replaces it with a tiny bit of the COVID-19 virus and create the
vaccine that is injected into your body. Your body reacts to this and creates
special cells to fight this disease.
Your body then ‘stores the message’ and can retrieve it when you are
infected by the COVID-19 virus. Your body is also able to fight it, as it has the
tools to do so in the form of antibodies and fighter T-Cells.
How the Oxford vaccine works:
1. Scientists take genes from the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus and put them into a harmless virus
to make a vaccine. This is injected into the patient.
2. The vaccine enters cells which then start to produce the spike protein. The body’s immune system reacts,
produces antibodies and activates T-cells to destroy cells with the spike protein.
Spike protein
Antibodies
T-cells
3. If the patient later catches the coronavirus, antibodies and T-cells are triggered to fight the virus.
HOW THE COVID-19 VACCINE WORKS
You will require two doses of either of the two variants
of South Africa’s chosen vaccine, Oxford/AstraZeneca, a
few weeks apart to get the body’s immune system ready
to fight COVID-19. Once you have had both vaccines, it
typically takes a few weeks for the body to produce
T-cells and antibodies that are necessary to fight the
virus. Therefore, it is possible that you could be infected
with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just
after vaccination and then get sick because the vaccine
did not have enough time to provide protection.
Sometimes, after vaccination, the process of building
immunity can cause symptoms, such as fever. These
symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is
building immunity.
It is critical that we continue to protect ourselves leading up to the rollout of vaccines to the rest of the
population – possibly in June. Even when you have received the vaccine, it is important to protect yourself from
being infected so your body has time to build up the appropriate internal army to fight the COVID-19 virus.
The COVID-19 safety protocols remain the same:
1. When in public, wear a cloth mask that covers your nose and mouth. Wash it regularly and hang it out to dry when not
wearing it.
2. Sanitise and/or wash your hands with soap and water regularly – especially when you have been in contact with
another person or been outside of your home.
3. Stay at home and keep social distancing.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE that at the moment, being vaccinated is voluntary and we need
to respect people’s choices. Ideally, we want to create herd immunity – over 60% of the
population protected by vaccination from the virus. If a person refuses to be vaccinated –
we need to respect their decision. Remember, we can only take responsibility for our own
bodies.
Some people have been saying things publicly about the vaccine that are not true. Avoid
fake news by ensuring that you receive your news from a reputable news source and not
from social media.
The vaccine is just a tiny vial injected into your arm to help you fight COVID-19 and not spread
it and, in serious cases, prevent death.
Build your immunity to protect yourself before vaccination
and afterwards as well!
Building up your immunity so that you can fight infections, not just COVID-19, is important for your long-term health
and wellbeing. It is especially important for people with comorbidities (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes and
heart disease), as they are more susceptible to infections, as was seen in the number of deaths experienced in
2020 with the first wave of COVID-19.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BUILD
YOUR IMMUNITY:
1. GET SOME SLEEP
We heal when we sleep. A well-rested immune system can fight off infections more than a sleep-deprived immune
system. Adults should focus on getting between six to eight hours of sleep at night. Sleep in a dark room and keep
a regular bedtime and wakeup routine. If you are having trouble sleeping, ask your doctor about using a mild, non-
addictive sleeping pill.
2. LOWER YOUR STRESS LEVELS
Although you should always practice lowering your stress levels, it is particularly important during this
virus outbreak, as stress directly impacts your immune system. Find ways to lower stress levels by meditation, exercise
and controlled breathing techniques.
3. ENJOY A MORE BALANCED DIET
Nutritional deficiencies make us more susceptible to viruses and bacteria, which is why it is important
to eat nutritional foods that maintain a healthy immune system. Wholefoods, which is food that has not been refined,
including grains, beans, nuts and seeds like pumpkin, sesame and sunflower, along with sweet-tasting vegetables and
leafy greens, provide you with your daily nutritional requirements. Refined foods like white bread and white rice are
filling, but lack the robust nutritional value of their wholefood counterparts – brown bread and brown rice.
NOTE: People who have insulin resistance with raised blood
sugar levels (diabetes), who are overweight, have high blood
pressure and an abnormal blood-fat profile, are more prone
to succumb to the complications of COVID-19. Reducing
high-fat and high-sugar snacks goes a long way to helping
change your metabolic profile.4. SUPPLEMENTS
Taking appropriate supplements can boost your immune system and help fight infection. The supplements
that may help improve your immune health are vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc. But remember, they should not and
cannot be used as a replacement for a healthy lifestyle. If you take medication for a chronic condition, check with your
healthcare provider before taking any supplements.
5. GET SOME EXERCISE
Engaging in physical activity boosts your immune system and has the bonus of making you feel good and lifting
your spirits. A 30-minute walk at a brisk pace will do wonders for your health and wellbeing.
6. AVOID SMOKING AND ALCOHOL
There is irrefutable evidence that neither is good for your health, so use this opportunity to deal with
your addictions. Whilst there is evidence that moderate alcohol intake – no more than a beer or a glass of wine – is
potentially good for you, it plays havoc with your immune system and it is worth greatly reducing or stopping. There is
overwhelming evidence that smoking is NOT good for you.
7. SUNSHINE
Getting 10 to 15 minutes of sunshine on your face, arms and legs on a daily basis helps the body to increase its
levels of vitamin D naturally. This dose of sunshine will not increase your risk of skin cancer.
YOUR ELECTED TRUSTEES
STEVE LATTA THABANG MAGAGULA GAVIN TEIXEIRA
021 407 6275 021 407 2456 021 460 7529
stevelatta@woolworths.co.za thabangmagagula@ gteixeira@truworths.co.za
woolworths.co.za
ANDRÉ HECTOR VACANT
021 460 7350
ahector@truworths.co.za
Specialist Referral Call Centre: 0800 765 432 Hospital authorisations: 0800 118 666 Fax: 0861 888 311
Client Services: 0802 228 922 (Saver and Comprehensive option) 0800 765 432 (Network option)
YOU CAN ACCESS YOUR BENEFITS ON www.wooltruhealthcarefund.co.za
DISCLAIMER: Although every attempt has been made to replicate information accurately in this newsletter, errors may occur.
In the case of a dispute, the Fund’s registered Rules will always apply.You can also read
