​Lerato Mailoane
The Gauteng Provincial COVID-19 Command Council has warned Gauteng residents to remain vigilant ahead of the Easter holidays as province remains highly vulnerable to COVID-19 third wave.
"As we start autumn and pre-winter holidays, let us remain vigilant.  This season comes with the increased risk of transmission as more people will travel to various holiday destinations, attend faith-based and family gatherings," said Gauteng Premier David Makhura.
Premier Makhura was addressing members of the media during to give an update on the state of coronavirus in the province.
As of Thursday, 18 March 2021 the province had recorded 10,098 deaths with 410,392 confirmed cases.
Speaking on behalf of the Advisory panel, Professor Bruce Mellado, said ahead of the easter holidays the number of infections within communities was showing a slow uptick and could pose as a threat in stabilising the infection rate.
"We have reached a very particular situation where the number of cases has stopped dropping. This basically means that we have reached a new situation of equilibrium between the number of cases created by our local transmissions and the local reproductive numbers. This essentially means that we are highly exposed to a third wave." 
Mellado said that Gauteng remained highly vulnerable to super-spreader events which could see the province face an unprecedented number of cases.
"This equilibrium is unstable; any trigger such as super-spreader events or similar situations where we can have a spark in the number of cases will break that equilibrium and lead to a third wave. As a result of that, we are highly vulnerable," Mellado said.
Premier Makhura said the province is pleased with the progress of Phase 1 of the Sisonke early access vaccine programme for Health Care Workers.  
He said to date, 43 915 health care workers have been vaccinated as at 18 March 2021.  He urged  all Health Care Workers to register so that they can be vaccinated when more vaccine doses become available.  
Makhura emphasised that the approach in the vaccination programme was informed by science. 
In the first phase this prioritised health workers as they are most at risk and during the second phase of vaccination he said: "We will do everything possible to ensure that the most vulnerable of the  population are prioritised and protected".