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Nurse Zoliswa Gidi-Dyosi was the first to receive a Covid-19 vaccine at the Khayelitsha District Hospital in Cape Town.
- So far, more than 67,000 health workers have been vaccinated.
- On Saturday, SA registered 1,447 new infections and the total number of cases increased to 1,512,225.
- Additionally, 157 other people died from Covid-19, bringing the death toll to 49,941.
The Health Department said that, as of 6:30 p.m. Saturday, a total of 67,303 healthcare workers had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The department expects to increase vaccinations in the coming days at even more sites.
“The Sisonke Program is exceeding original targets for the number of vaccines administered in its first week and is expected to continue this momentum into its second week as more sites are connected,” the department said.
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On Tuesday, J&J submitted an updated set of trial results with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review, taking into account the additional follow-up time for people enrolled in the trials.
“South Africa welcomes the news that the single-dose J&J vaccine is even more effective than previously expected, with a 64% efficacy rate in preventing the more contagious 501Y.V2 variant.
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“In addition, we welcome the news that the FDA’s expert panel unanimously recommended approval of the vaccine. FDA approval of the single-dose J&J vaccine for general use is expected this weekend, preparing the wave for similar approval by [the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority] In a few weeks.
Vaccine
Until then, early access to the vaccine will continue to be provided through a partnership, known as Sisonke, between the government and the Council for Medical Research.
In Saturday’s daily Covid-19 update, the health department said there were 1,447 new infections, and that the total of South African cases now stands at 1,512,225.
There were another 157 deaths, with 49,941 dead.
The breakdown of the 157 deaths is as follows: Eastern Cape (6), Free State (26), Gauteng (33), KwaZulu-Natal (46), Limpopo (23), Mpumalanga (3), Northern Cape (2) and Western Cape (18).
The recovery rate is 94%.
