[ad_1]
- The government has secured 11 million Johnson and Johnson doses of the vaccine to be delivered in phases.
- An additional 20 million doses of Pfizer are expected to arrive in the country by the end of this year.
- In the past 10 days, more than 67,000 healthcare workers have received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
More than 67,000 healthcare workers have been vaccinated with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in the past 10 days.
A new batch of 80,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine arrived in the country on Saturday.
The government has signed an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to secure 11 million doses.
Once the vaccination of healthcare workers is completed, the second phase would start in late April or early May.
The second phase would include the elderly, essential workers, people who live or work in institutional settings, and people with comorbidities.
“For this phase, we will activate many more vaccination sites in the public and private health sector so that we can reach the largest number of people in the shortest time possible.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that of the 11 million doses secured, 2.8 million doses would be delivered in the second quarter and the remainder would be distributed throughout the year.
Meanwhile, the virus continues to circulate in our families, our workplaces, and our communities. As our vaccination campaign accelerates, we must continue to exercise extreme caution to protect ourselves and others.
– Cyril Ramaphosa ???? #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) February 28, 2021
The country has also obtained an additional 20 million doses from Pfizer, to be delivered from the second quarter.
“Additionally, we have sourced 12 million vaccine doses from COVAX facilities and are in the process of finalizing our African Union dose allocation. We are in constant contact with several other vaccine manufacturers to ensure we have the necessary amounts of vaccinations when we need them, “Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa stated that the dramatic decrease in cases over eight weeks was due to a combination of the public health measures introduced, changes in behavior, and build-up of immunity in those who became infected in our communities.
“The measures we had to implement in December were necessary to contain infections and prevent our health facilities from being overwhelmed. They were necessary to save lives.”
READ | 16 Sites Feb 17: 8 Things To Know About SA’s J&J Vaccine Launch
Ramphosa said the government took strict action knowing that they placed restrictions on everyone’s daily life in this country.
“Our approach has always been that such restrictions should not remain in place longer than is absolutely necessary to contain the disease. Due to declining infections, the country is now able to ease some of the movement and activity restrictions,” Ramaphosa said.
Meanwhile, the curfew for lockdown level 1 will be from 00:00 to 04:00.
Religious, social, political, and cultural gatherings would be allowed, subject to size limitations, adherence to social distancing, and other health protocols.
The maximum number of people allowed in any meeting is 100 people indoors or 250 people outdoors.
Ramphosa said that evening vigils or other gatherings before or after funerals were not yet allowed and that nightclubs would also remain closed.
[ad_2]
