Mkhize expected to make announcement about more COVID-19 vaccines for SA

Health Minister Doctor Zweli Mkhize is today expected to make an important announcement on the arrival of more batches of vaccines in the country.

He will make the announcement during his visit to vaccination sites in Gauteng. Mkhize will check on their readiness for the next phase of the mass rollout of coronavirus vaccines.

Premier David Makhura and Health MEC Doctor Nomathemba Mokgethi will accompany Mkhize whose visit will start at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Parktown, Johannesburg.

“Here at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, vaccination started on the second of March. To date, 12 281 healthcare workers have been vaccinated at the cut-off time 6pm last night. So, the healthcare workers here are waiting to be registered for vaccination. They will of course add to the numbers that I have just pointed out. And we do know that the next phase will include vulnerable groups,” reports SABC’s Chriselda Lewis.

Mkhize to announce arrival of more vaccines: 

DA plans to approach SAHRC regarding vaccine rollout

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on government to stop celebrating its procurement of coronavirus vaccines and instead focus on improving the implementation pace of its rollout programme.  

The DA plans to approach the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to ask it to probe the government’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Strategy, which according to the party, is extremely slow.  

Mkhize recently said government’s target was to vaccinate 67% of the population by the end of this year.  

However, all indications are that this deadline will be missed as it now plans to vaccinate 22 million people between November and February 2022.

DA Member of Parliament and Spokesperson on Health, Siviwe Gwarube, says the SAHRC must investigate, what she terms, government’s failure to uphold the rights of South Africans. 

“There was always a target of healthcare workers that were meant to be reached but government failed to meet that. We are completely unimpressed and we are of the view that the Human Rights Commission must launch an investigation to look into the vaccine rollout of government up to now and also to look at whether or not, going forward, government will be fulfilling its mandate,” says Gwarube.