Johannesburg, South Africa – South Africa, the continent’s worst COVID-hit country, is due to receive its first batch of coronavirus vaccines on Monday.
Initially scheduled for the end of January, the first million injections of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine produced in India will be used to inoculate healthcare professionals in the next three months. The second batch of 500,000 jabs is scheduled to arrive in late February.
Despite criticism from opposition parties and medical experts that the vaccine procurement process took too long, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize called the arrival of vaccines from the Indian Serum Institute “a massive achievement of unprecedented proportions”.
After the shipment has undergone quality checks, which will take 10 to 14 days, the country will begin the long-awaited three-phase immunization campaign. After inoculation of frontline health professionals, other high-risk groups, such as the elderly, people with comorbidities and essential workers, such as minibus drivers, police officers and teachers, will receive their injection. The third phase is aimed at all other people over the age of 18.
The first shipment of 1 million doses of #OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine @SerumInstIndia is on its way to @ortambo_int
The shipment left Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai today and will arrive in South Africa on February 1, 2021.#COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/lTw1EtGi0d– Government of South Africa (@GovernmentZA) January 31, 2021
The arrival of jabs comes a month after the United Kingdom was the first to launch the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical AstraZeneca, and about two months after the United Kingdom and the United States began using the Pfizer- BioNTech.
Responding to accusations that the delay was caused by the South African government that started negotiations too late, the National Health Department’s Deputy Director-General, Dr. Anban Pillay, told Al Jazeera: “We couldn’t get a vaccine without knowing that it is effective and safe and when it would be delivered. This information was only available in December for some vaccines. We had to wait to get this information before making a financial commitment. “
Under the agreement, South Africa is paying US $ 5.25 per injection, US $ 2 more than the cost when the same vaccine reaches the agreement that the African Union (AU) guaranteed to African countries.
Professor Barry Schoeb, who chairs the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on COVID-19, said that South Africa has prioritized the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine because “it is the one that was immediately available”.
The authorities intend to vaccinate 40 million South Africans by the end of 2021, or 65% of the population of almost 60 million. “But efficiency will depend on a number of factors,” acknowledged Mkhize in a public web briefing on the vaccine last week, including uncertainty as to whether South Africa will actually receive the requested doses.
Although he promised that the government would do its best to vaccinate as many people as possible, “many other countries are not receiving the supplies they requested,” warned the minister.
According to official sources, 21 million vaccines from the Pfizer (12 million) and Johnson & Johnson (nine million) vaccines have been secured through collective programs such as the COVAX scheme supported by the World Health Organization and the AU, as well as bilateral agreements with suppliers. Meanwhile, Mkhize told a Sunday newspaper that an additional 20 million doses were ordered by Pfizer, bringing South Africa’s expected supply to more than 40 million doses.
“These vaccines are guaranteed and awaiting manufacturers to submit final agreements with details of delivery dates and exact quantities,” Mkhize told The Sunday Times.
South Africa is the African country most affected by the pandemic, with almost 1.5 million confirmed cases and almost 44,000 related deaths. In January, new daily infections peaked at more than 20,000, the vast majority of which can be attributed to a new strain identified last year.
The powerful new 501Y.V2 variant is believed to be 50% more transmissible than previous variants, although some studies have shown that it is relatively more resistant to existing vaccines.
Whether the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is effective against it is being studied, with results expected in the coming days.
#ListenToTheExperts
Professor Barry Schoub demystifies the #COVID-19 myth of the vaccine microchip. pic.twitter.com/cvHCqtFm9c– Department of Health: COVID-19 (@ COVID_19_ZA) January 30, 2021
Meanwhile, the government launched a social media campaign – using hashtags like #VacciNation and #ListenToTheExperts – to debunk myths and rumors about COVID-19 and vaccines that have been circulating widely.
“We will ensure that communities have adequate information to answer questions about vaccines,” said Mkhize.
The Department of Health is currently conducting a study to find out the level of information about vaccines among healthcare professionals, as some seem to fear inoculation.
“People are afraid. They talk about 5G, triple 6 and microchips, ”said a nurse who worked at a clinic near downtown Johannesburg. According to the nurse’s information, online nurse training will begin on Monday.
“Healthcare professionals have not been informed enough about the vaccine,” said Sibongiseni Delihlaso, of the Democratic Nursing Organization of South Africa.
“They are the ones who are going to conduct this on the ground. How are these people going to convince patients to get the vaccine if they are not convinced? “