Anti-vaxxers attempt to scupper efforts to vaccinate the homeless

By Sandisiwe Shoba, 10 September 2021

A drive to vaccinate the homeless in Claremont was almost derailed when a small group of anti-vaxxers showed up and began spewing conspiracies and profanities. Vaccine hesitancy is still rife amongst street dwellers who are often vulnerable to severe illness from Covid-19.

“Don’t take the jab! They’re trying to kill you!” screamed Ayesha Janodien at homeless persons queued at the U-Turn Service Centre in Claremont to get vaccinated on Friday morning.

The frantic anti-vaxxer was accompanied by a young child, a woman and two other men who identified themselves as part of a group called the ‘Freedom Fighters’.

When Janodien tried to make her way onto the premises, the staff ushered everyone inside and locked the gates. Police were called and the group drove off before they arrived.

One healthcare worker, who did not want to be named, said this wasn’t the first time an anti-vaxxer had tried to derail a vaccination drive. She lamented that the homeless were already vulnerable to infection and refusing the vaccine was a death sentence…

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