Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Tuesday officially launched the second phase of tSouth Africa’s coronavirus vaccination programme, targeting those aged 60 years or older to get the jabs alongside the continued vaccination of healthcare workers in an exercise that started in March this year.
According to the minister, the second phase aims to vaccinate five million senior citizens by 30 June.
He called for patience with the vaccine rollout, which first kicked off with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine but was now using the double-dosage Pfizer vaccines after running out of the Johnson & Johnson jabs.
The Johnson & Johnson injections should, however, be in stock soon following talks with the manufactures to resupply the country later in the week, Mkhize said.
South Africa has targeted the vaccination of 46 million people to achieve a herd immunity that would slow down the pandemic which has claimed over 50,000 lives since its outbreak in the country in March last year.
NM/jn/APA