Today is day two of South Africa’s vaccination drive, which officially kicked off in Khayelitsha, Western Cape, yesterday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize were part of the first people in the country who received the injection at the Khayelitsha District Hospital.
KwaZulu-Natal and the North West healthcare workers will be receiving the COVID-19 Johnson and Johnson vaccine on Thursday.
Premier Sihle Zikalala and Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu will be part of the province’s first stage of the vaccine rollout process at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in Umlazi in Durban.
Zikalala has said that over 163 000 healthcare workers in the province from the public and private sector would be vaccinated. This includes support staff, traditional healers and social services.
Vaccine rollout a major step for SA’s fight against COVID-19:
In the North West, government will start administering vaccines to frontline healthcare workers, the province received a batch of 3 900 Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
Two vaccine sites will be used for the first phase of vaccinations which start on Thursday.
A look at global COVID-19 vaccination rollout with Sophie Mokoena:
North West Premier Job Mokgoro has appealed to residents of the province to adhere to safety and health protocols even after the arrival of vaccines.
Mokgoro says, “It is not only a responsibility of the government as we know, it is a responsibility of all of us and that is why when we see people not wearing masks on the streets as part of the community in Rustenburg or wherever you are, it is incumbent on us to provide in the most respectful way – advice to whoever would not be wearing a mask.”
Vaccinations in South Africa started yesterday after the arrival of the J&J vaccine, which has shown a 70% efficacy against the COVID-19 501y.v2 strain first identified in the country.
Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape began vaccinating their frontline workers yesterday.
The country’s healthcare workers have been at the frontline of the pandemic since the country’s first COVID-19 case was detected in Hilton in KwaZulu-Natal in March 2020.
EXPLAINER | South Africa’s vaccine rollout strategy:
President Cyril Ramaphosa receiving the #Covid19 vaccine. #IChooseVacciNation #VaccineRolloutSA pic.twitter.com/DNfhUBYbl5
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) February 17, 2021
Additional reporting by: Minoshni Pillay
