NATIONAL NEWS - After months of public pressure to get its Covid-19 vaccine roll-out plan going, key government figures at OR Thambo International Airport were expected to officiate the arrival of the 1,5 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
The plane carrying the precious cargo would be arriving via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Mumbai India where the drugs were manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).
According to government’s phased roll-out plan, the healthcare workers would be prioritised in the first phase, followed by those with commodities and the elderly. The Oxford AstraZeneca regime required two doses spaced out over a number of days.
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AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, was made to be stored and transported at normal refrigerated temps of 2 degrees to 8 degrees Celsius (36 degrees to 46 degrees Fahrenheit). In these conditions the doses could last at least six months.
Last week, health minister Zweli Mkhize assured South Africans that “all is on track” and that government was working closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure a smooth implementation of the vaccine roll-out programme.
Watch the arrival below, courtesy of the SABC:
