Vaccine Rollout First Phase Set to Begin in South Africa
Written by Mfundo on 1 February, 2021
By: Sthulile Mdletshe & Mfundo Mabaso
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says they haven’t concluded if government leaders would be among those first in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
This as the plane carrying the first batch AstraZeneca vaccines just arrived at OR Tambo International Airport from India.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, together with his Deputy David Mabuza, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Vaccines, alongside Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, received and welcomed the consignment of vaccines.
Plastic-wrapped bundles of the in-demand vaccine were off-loaded from the plane into the unmarked refrigerated trucks. The jabs were then transported to a cold room lab where they will undergo quality checks, which may take between 10 and 14 days.
Mkhize says health care workers for now will be prioritised on the first shipment of the one million shots of the vaccine.
powered by Advanced iFrame. Get the Pro version on CodeCanyon.
The State aims to vaccinate 40 million South Africans to ensure that the population has the immunity it needs to fight COVID-19, which has already claimed over 44 000 lives in the country.
