Limpopo Health encourages travellers to use vaccination points at roadblocks

Co-Chair of the COVID-19 Ministerial Advisory Committee, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, says the COVID-19 vaccines being procured by the government will be administered free of charge.

Two-thirds of adults are willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, according to findings from the latest University of Johannesburg and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) COVID Democracy Survey.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday urged wealthy countries not to hoard surplus COVID-19 vaccine supplies, adding his voice to calls for global production to be shared more equally.

American pharmaceutical company Moderna says its latest research shows that its vaccine is effective against the COVID-19 variants found in South Africa and the United Kingdom.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that the country will receive its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from India very soon.

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says South Africa is on track to receive COVID-19 vaccines on the agreed-upon date.

In his weekly letter to the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa says the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine will be the most ambitious and extensive in the country's history.

Government leaders should take the COVID-19 vaccine in public to demystify myths surrounding the vaccine and to show citizens that it is safe.

Minister Zweli Mkhize has confirmed that the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has approved an application to recognise the Health Department as the supplier of the Serum Institute of India vaccine. Section 21 Authorisation is required in terms of SAHPRA regulations.

The Democratic Alliance has rejected the appointment of Deputy President David Mabuza as head of the inter-ministerial committee to oversee the country's COVID-19 vaccine rollout programme.  

The Health Department says measures will be in place to monitor people for possible side-effects after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Speaking during a webinar organised by the ANC's Progressive Business Forum, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the committee would assist government in ensuring that the distribution of the vaccines are well managed.

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has assured citizens that the COVID-19 vaccine will be accessible to everyone in the province when it becomes available.

The National Treasury has assured the public that there will be money to procure vaccine doses for COVID-19.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says its lawyers will write to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday to set out  COVID-19 vaccination issues that the party says are not in line with the Constitution.

The North West government says they are busy finalizing its plans to roll out COVID-19 vaccine to residents. Health workers and the vulnerable in society will be among the first to get vaccinated.

Lobby group Afriforum and trade union Solidarity have given government until next Wednesday to fully explain the roll-out plan for the COVID-19 vaccine, or face court action.

The Health Department has denied reports that pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca cannot sell vaccines in South Africa.

The Africa Centre for Disease Control and prevention (Africa CDC) secures first tranche of COVID-19 vaccines.

The African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team has secured a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for African countries, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday.

Both the Eastern and the Western Cape have briefed Parliament's Health Committee on their strategies to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine.

Head of Virology in the School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Nokukhanya Msomi, says the COVID-19 vaccine will not only save lives but livelihoods too.

South Africa getting ready to roll out COVID-19 vaccine. Last week, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said the priority will be given to the country’s more than one million healthcare workers in both the private and public sectors.

Health Minister, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, says government is working towards securing more COVID-19 vaccines for South Africa.

Some South Africans, among them health care workers, have mixed feelings about a COVID-19 vaccine. The country is due to receive its first batch of the vaccine this month.

Public Health Medicine Specialist, Doctor Kerrin Begg, says research so far has shown that the vaccines to combat the coronavirus still have a significant impact against the new variant that is fuelling new infections in South Africa.

The Clicks Group and Dis-Chem Pharmacies, say they are willing to assist government in the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine once it arrives.

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) says the procurement and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine should be done in a transparent manner. The association is also calling on authorities to crack the whip on those who could act in a corrupt manner in the procurement of the vaccine.

South Africa’s vaccine rollout plan which was launched by Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize is nothing but an aspirational goal, according to Professor of Vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand Dr. Shabir Madhi. 

The Health Department says it will fairly distribute the more than one-million first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines, to health workers in the private and public sector.