South African Mines Join Effort to Temper Next Coronavirus Wave
Mining companies are using facilities originally set up for HIV and TB patients to combat Covid-19.
Miners wait for their vaccinations at Anglo Platinum’s Tumela Mine in Amandelbult, South Africa.
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Outside Anglo American Platinum Ltd.’s Tumela mine shaft about 25 workers, many still in the overalls and hard hats they wore on their shift, sit patiently waiting for their coronavirus vaccines while vervet monkeys scamper over the roofs of nearby steel storage containers.
They then file into a room where their registration on a government database is checked, injected with Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s inoculation and offered counseling. Before leaving they collect a free blanket, sanitizer and painkillers to be used in the event of side effects.