Health Dept: Significant quantities of COVID-19 vaccine doses expected from Q3
The Health Department said that a lot more COVID-19 vaccine doses would be available from the third quarter of this year.
Officials on Friday morning gave an overview of the vaccination campaign.
An initial consignment of 300,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccine vials have already arrived in the country to kickstart the inoculation of teachers and school support staff.
More doses should arrive next week.
Deputy Director-General Dr Anban Pillay: “In quarter three, which starts basically in July, the quantities of vaccine that are going to be coming in are fairly significant, both from Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, although there was the challenge relating to Johnson & Johnson around their supply in quarter 2, we have addressed that now and we can see quite significant doses of the J&J vaccine coming through.”
The department’s Dr Nicholas Crisp said that workers in the security cluster, like police officers, were next in line after teachers.
“There will be sites at police stations – they will be working together with pharmacies who have licences and who are designated points for the deliveries of the vaccines and there is a service provider working with the South African Police Services for vaccinating members.”
Following the police service, Correctional Services and the SANDF were next in line.
“Fortunately, the defence force has its own military health services – they will be vaccinating their own members, whereas in the Correctional Services, the inmates will be vaccinated through the Correctional Services but the staff will be vaccinated through the same programme that is run by the Department of Public Service and Administration with GEMS,” Crisp said.
-EWN
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