South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is expected to begin tomorrow. The South Africa Medical Association says provinces should receive the Johnson and Johnson vaccines which land in the country today.
The first batch consists of 80 000 single doses targeted at frontline healthcare workers.
Seventeen hospitals have been identified including Soweto’s Chris Hani Baragwanath, Durban’s Prince Mshiyeni Memorial and Groote Schuur in Cape Town as vaccination sites.
Two weeks ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa received one million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine from India but the rollout of the shots was suspended due to study findings that it has limited efficacy against the coronavirus variant that has been discovered in South Africa.
An explanation of what the variant is:
This rollout plan will cover 17 sites in nine provinces. Two-thirds of the consignment will be reserved for the public sector while the remaining third is allocated for the private healthcare workers.
Johnson & Johnson is said to be donating half a million doses of which they will be delivered in batches. Pharmaceutical company Aspen has been contracted to manufacture the vaccines in SA:
According to Professor Linda-Gail Bekker, the co-principal of SA’s study, the next three weeks will see 80 000 doses of the vaccine delivered. In the fourth week, 60 000 doses will be shipped into the country.
The J&J vaccine is the only COVID-19 drug that administers one dose, which will ease the administration of following up patients for a second dosage.
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