6,000 employees of the Compagnie Sucrière Sénégalaise have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
At the time of the third wave, where new contaminations of Covid-19 cases are multiplying with 763 positive out of 3310 tests, the vaccination campaign is in full swing. At the Compagnie Sucrière Sénégalaise (CSS), a campaign has been launched there since last April. It is in this wake that 6,000 employees, representing 75% of the company’s total workforce, have been vaccinated as part of the corporate strategy to combat Covid-19, plus retirees, voluntary workers and exposed families at risk of contracting the disease.
According to the CSS Managing Director, Franck EBA, the “success of this campaign was facilitated by the flexibility of the mobile vaccination teams, the logistics made available to them (vehicles, coolers, accessory equipment), the internal media coverage and above all the mobilization of the General Management, the site and workers’ supervisors who showed the example by being vaccinated first. Thanks to well-organized internal communication, CSS employees had the privilege of following all the members of their hierarchy in the process of being vaccinated first before they voluntarily rushed for the vaccines,” he said.
Indeed, the CSS Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Aboubacar GASSAMA has since the outbreak of the virus in China, invited his medical team to think about an effective strategy to put in place within the company and in externally (in the municipality of Richard-Toll) against the spread of the virus. According to the Chief Medical Officer, “6,000 doses of vaccine were administered without side effects”. Through good coordination, medical monitoring and serological tests, Dr. GASSAMA’s team was able to implement the measures adopted and continuously evaluate the device, while reporting to the authorities. The Doctor is pleased to have helped vaccinate part of the population of Richard-Toll, and confirms that vaccination is currently the best way to protect oneself against the virus.
Vaccination happened to be the logical next step, after the strict barrier measures and the upstream training and awareness work provided to employees. From physical distancing, to mandatory mask wearing in all departments, to the multiplication of handwashing points and the adjustment of work schedules, among other measures, the CSS quickly understood that only a collective commitment at all levels could guarantee the effectiveness of the response to the virus.
