Dr Mkhize: No Decision yet on Government Officials Getting Vaccine 1st
- Dr Zweli Mkhize recently announced that there had been no final decision made about whether government officials would be the first people to be vaccinated
- Mkhize acknowledged that some members of SA's government would be among the first to receive the vaccine in an effort to demonstrate its safety and build trust
- The AstraZeneca vaccine consignment will reportedly be arriving on Monday afternoon
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Dr Zweli Mkhize has said that there has been no final decision made as to the question of whether government officials will be receiving the first vaccinations when the shipment arrives.
Mkhize was reported as saying that there have been no concrete decisions about who gets the vaccine first.
He also acknowledged that it would be in the public interest for some government officials to be vaccinated in order to demonstrate the safety of the jab and build trust in the process.
Source: Getty Images
EWN reported Zweli Mkhize's words and wrote:
"It's important for confidence to be built to show that the vaccines are safe enough and I think we will have to take that decision quickly but it is not my decision."
The AstraZeneca vaccine consignment will reportedly be arriving in Johannesburg this afternoon on Monday, 1 February with the vaccine rollout scheduled in two weeks' time.
Briefly.co.za previously reported on the news that the vaccines ordered for South Africa have left India and were on their way to be distributed to Mzansi.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will receive the first consignment of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday.
"Covishield" is being produced under licence by AstraZeneca through the Serum Institute of India. President Ramaphosa will be joined by Deputy President David Mabuza and Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize at the OR Tambo International Airport later today. One million doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive at around 3pm this afternoon.
Reports say that vaccinations are expected to start two weeks from the arrival date.
News24 reported that the vaccine doses will be stored and tested before mass rollout through Biovac and other distributors. Another 500 000 vaccine doses are expected to arrive later this month.
A report by EWN stated that Minister Mkhize spoke about 20 million vaccines being ordered from US company Pfizer. They have reportedly been secured and are awaiting delivery dates and precise amounts from manufacturers.
According to gov.za, the aim of rolling out the vaccine in South Africa is to achieve population immunity. Frontline healthcare workers will be the first in the country to receive the vaccination in its first phase.
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Source: Briefly News
