President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed rumours that the COVID-19 vaccination program will be compulsory for all citizens.
The first batch of AstraZeneca doses arrived at OR Tambo international Airport from India on Monday.
The first one million shots of the vaccine will be used to inoculate healthcare workers amid a surge in infections fuelled by a new variant of the coronavirus.
President Ramaphosa made the announcement during his address to the nation:
President Ramaphosa says the arrival of one million COVID-19 vaccine doses, brings some promise that the country can turn the tide on a disease that has caused much devastation.
Ramaphosa says the vaccines that have been procured will go through meticulous, multi-stage testing processes:
“Now that the vaccines have arrived they’ll be tested to confirm that their integrity has been maintain after testing they’ll be distributed to our health workers across the country as they for ours. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to make sure that enough vaccine doses are secured to reach population immunity in our country.”
Meanwhile, political parties have given mixed reactions to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement.
