South Africa Plans To Begin Vaccination February

By Oluchi Ihediuche

South African Government has announced its COVID-19 vaccine rollout strategy, with vaccination most likely to begin in February, after a hit of the second wave of the virus

Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize while giving an update on government’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout strategy, said they expect manufacturers to deliver COVID-19 vaccines as early as priority will be given to frontline care workers.

“We’re trying as much as possible to get some vaccines to be available much before that date,”
“We are targeting February,

Dr. Zweli Mkhize added that this will be possible after negotiations had being made with Vaccine Makers Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, as well as with Russian and Chinese laboratories.

“All of that will depend on the success of current bilateral negotiations we’re having with various companies,”

He sought the corporation of private and other institutions to finance the procurement of the vaccine.

“To finance its vaccine programme, the administration plans to seek help from the private sector as well as from the country’s main health insurers.

This comes a week after the South African government paid a deposit of 15.8 million euros to enter Covax, the mechanism for the equitable distribution of vaccines established by the UN World Health Organisation

He noted that the country is worst hit by the second wave of the virus plans to vaccinate 67 percent of its population of 59 million people, in order to achieve sufficient collective immunity to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

“It is clear that the second wave that we are going through is affecting us to levels which are even higher than in the earlier stage,”

“The only way to deal with the Covid-19 not only in South Africa but throughout the world is the provision of the immunity through the vaccination,”