Second batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccines arrives in South Africa

The second batch of 80 000 Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid-19 vaccines arrived at the OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday morning, The Citizen reports.

A South African Airways (SAA) flight left for Belgium to collect the batch on Thursday.

This now pushes the total number of doses received in the first phase of the government’s rollout programme to 160 000.

The vaccines will be distributed to different centres country-wide.

“South Africa’s second tranche of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines have touched down at OR Tambo Int! It comes as the majority of initial doses received two weeks ago have been administered to healthcare workers,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize tweeted.

South Africa began its vaccination programme last week with Healthcare workers in the public and private sectors becoming the first in line to receive the jab as part of phase one of the mass rollout of the vaccine.

The country has set aside a budget of R9 billion towards funding the free Covid-19 vaccination programme in the medium term, with the rollout expected to gather pace in the second half of the year.

This brings the vaccine rollout costs to a total of R10.3 billion for the current year, as an additional R1.3 billion was allocated in the current financial year.

South Africa's second tranche of Johnson&Johnson #COVID19 vaccines have touched down at OR Tambo Int! It comes as the majority of initial doses received two weeks ago have been administered to healthcare workers via the #SisonkeProject. #VaccineRollOutSA pic.twitter.com/ksTx0hDr76

— Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) February 27, 2021

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