South Africa outlines Covid-19 vaccine rollout plan
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Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize outlined South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout strategy in a public address on Sunday evening (3 January), as the country deals with a second wave of the virus.
“We are targeting a minimum of 67% of the population to achieve herd immunity and the approach will be a phased rollout of the vaccine beginning with the most vulnerable in our population,” the minister said.
Dr Mkhize said that the government is mindful of the urgency of obtaining a vaccine.
“We have set up structures to expedite financing, sourcing and procurement and therefore the issue of the vaccine strategy will get undivided attention from the department and government.”
India has followed the U.K. and granted emergency approval for the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford, the first step in its plan to inoculate citizens in the country that’s home to the world’s second-largest Covid-19 outbreak.