South African health authorities will soon know the effectiveness of a second dose of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine against the Omicron variant.
This, according to professor Glenda Gray, from the South African Medical Research Council.
Gray says healthcare workers who received one dose of the J&J injection, and who picked up breakthrough infections, developed only mild forms of the disease.
Gray says about 218,000 healthcare workers have already gotten a second dose of the J&J injection.
Read the full report here.
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COVID-19 vaccines 💉 are our best shot to stay safe these holidays. Get your vaccine at a vaccination site near you and be protected https://t.co/6NUSwZuERI pic.twitter.com/39Uh6Vl6xZ
— @Discovery_SA (@Discovery_SA) December 15, 2021
Health Minister, Dr. Joe Phaahla says disease-experts have warned that the country can expect the fourth wave of Covid-19, at the earliest, by the middle of December.
During an interview with ENCA, on Sunday, he again urged at-risk South Africans to get themselves vaccinated as soon as possible.
He says the country’s constantly increasing vaccination-rate, currently at more than 40% of the adult population, may help mitigate the severity of the fourth wave.
Follow the Department of Health’s latest Covid-19 updates here.
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As of today the cumulative number of #COVID19 cases identified in SA is 2 929 862 with 687 new cases reported. Today 2 deaths have been reported bringing the total to 89 574 deaths. The cumulative number of recoveries now stand at 2 821 141 with a recovery rate of 96,3% pic.twitter.com/J42Kg0c0pS
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) November 21, 2021
The Department of Health says the majority of South Africans have been inoculated with Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Even though Government was planning to vaccinate people in rural areas with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the majority of residents in far-lying areas have been inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine.
According to the Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla initial plans were to jab South Africans with the J&J vaccine as it only requires one jab which would have ensured that more people get vaccinated over a shorter period of time.
Phaahla says South Africa now has a huge stock-pile of Pfizer doses.
Follow the Department of Health’s latest Covid-19 briefing here.
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- Not enough capacity to offer full-time weekend vaccinations.
- Government aims to vaccinate 40-million adults by the end of 2021.
A s of today the cumulative number of #COVID19 cases identified in SA is 2 777 659 with 7 086 new cases reported. Today 431 deaths have been reported bringing the total to 82 261 deaths. The cumulative number of recoveries now stand at 2 544 563 with a recovery rate of 91,6% pic.twitter.com/xU0TwOWjCR
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) August 31, 2021
Today more than 12 million doses administered. Together we can vaccinate more people. Thank you South Africa #VaccineRollOutSA #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/UYJycHeyo5
— Department of Health (@HealthZA) August 29, 2021
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country’s teachers could expect to receive their Covid-19 vaccination over the next few weeks.
He says millions more doses of Covid-19 vaccines are expected to reach the country soon.
Ramaphosa says the local production of vaccines – at the Aspen Pharmacare facility in the Eastern Cape – would now be ramped up.
He says the 2-million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – which had to be destroyed due to contamination – will also be replaced by the company.
Read more here.
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The proportion of COVID tests that are positive – the so-called positivity rate – is continuing to rise in Gauteng, Limpopo, Western Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. Of these, Gauteng has been the worst hit.https://t.co/L2hWSfT0Ra
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) June 15, 2021
President Cyril Ramaphosa has again assured South Africans that, despite the initial challenges faced, millions more residents would soon be vaccinated against Covid-19.
He said this on Tuesday evening, when announcing the country’s migration to level 3 of lockdown.
Ramaphosa says millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines are expected to reach the country in the next few weeks to months.
He says global vaccine shortages also affected the roll-out of South Africa’s vaccine strategy.
Read his full address here.
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— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) June 15, 2021
