South Africa has entered binding agreements with Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer for the supply of 31 million doeses of the COVID 19 vacccines as that country ramps up its battle against the deadly pandemic.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said Johnson & Johnson will supply 11 million shots with 2.8m of that expected to be delivered in the second quarter and the balance during the course of the year.
Pfizer on the other hand is committed to supplying 20 million doses of its own vaccines to South Africa where the government has begun the process of opening up the economy.
“From a vaccine-availability point of view, we will be secured,” Ramaphosa said. “‘The number of sites that will be available for vaccination will be expanded next week from 17 sites to 49.”
The President said last night while addressing South Africans that the restrictions imposed at the onset of the second wave were being eased as the rate of new coronavirus infections dropped. The government is also scrapping most limits on alcohol sales, shortening a night-time curfew and permitting larger public gatherings.
The move to virus alert level 1, from level 3, comes a year after the first Covid-19 case was detected in the country, and will remove most remaining shackles on the struggling economy, Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday. The night-time curfew will run from midnight to 4 a.m. and alcohol sales will be allowed outside the curfew hours. Gatherings will be limited to 100 people indoors, double the previous number.
“Our approach has aways been that restrictions should not remain in place longer than is absolutely necessary,” Ramaphosa said. “The threat of the third wave is constantly present, as is the threat of new variants.”
The average daily number of new coronavirus cases has dropped to less than 1,500, from a peak of about 22,000 in early January. More than 1.5 million people in South Africa have been diagnosed with the disease, and almost 50,000 of them have died, according to Health Ministry data.
The country began a vaccination program on Feb. 17, inoculating health-care workers with a single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot and more than 67,000 have been inoculated so far. The second phase of the vaccine roll-out is due to begin in April or early May and cover the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
