Government is hoping that the rate of inoculation will increase from April as more vaccination doses are expected to arrive in the country this month.
“It has been a very rough journey, one might say and in that process, we learnt a lot and made many mistakes, but we also achieved a lot,” says Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.
COVID-19 cases continue to fall in South Africa, with 856 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number to 1 513 959.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan as the country has officially received its first shipment of one million Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, also known as Covishield.
South Africa’s six key priorities of the African Union (AU) have had to take a backseat due to COVID-19, with President Cyril Ramaphosa leading the continent’s response to the pandemic and ensuring collaboration in this important battle.
Leading experts in South Africa’s vaccine procurement strategy say while securing a COVID-19 vaccine is top of the country’s agenda, it is not a magic bullet that will end the pandemic.