COVID-19 Vaccine Drive Kicks Into High Gear

After being stuck in neutral, South Africa’s vaccination programme is being pushed into high gear.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says over 1 million Johnson&Johnson vaccines will be ready for distribution by the end of this month.

South Africa’s slow vaccination rollout has come under immense scrutiny as the government is still administering the initial batch of the J&J vaccines to health workers. 

Mkhize says the Johnson and Johnson vaccines are nearly ready to go while negotiations with Pfizer continue.

“The payment process is underway. Upon the conclusion, Pfizer will then be in a position to break down their current quarterly commitment to a finer schedule with a committed date of delivery of the first batch,” says Mkhize.

At the peak of the rollout in 2022, the department expects to vaccinate huge numbers every day.

Mkhize inspected vaccination sites in Gauteng on Thursday.