Health Minister Zweli Mkhize s been placed on special leave by President Cyril Ramaphosa pending the outcome of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) s probe into his department s contract with a company run by two of his associates.
As revelations around the Digital Vibes contract continued, including assertions that the company bought his son a bakkie, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said that he spoke to his family about it and they were in agreement that these funds need to be returned.
South Africa has administered 1,045,104 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in four months.
However, only 479,768 people have been fully vaccinated after receiving the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine through the Sisonke study.
The remaining 565,336 are yet to receive their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
In KwaZulu-Natal, 181,948 people over 60 have been vaccinated at the province’s 108 vaccination sites, according to the province’s Department of Health on 2 June. There are still 41,553 healthcare workers to be vaccinated, it added.
Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Department of Health provided an update on its vaccination roll-out.
It has administered 6,026 doses of the Pfizer vaccine – 4,516 in Kimberley, 886 in Kuruman and 624 in Upington.
The process of vaccinating 16.5 million people in South Africa against Covid-19 by the end of October will begin on Monday, 17 May, as the national roll-out begins.
Provinces have admitted that the start of the Covid-19 vaccination programme will be slow. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, too, has acknowledged this.
The Department of Health has promised that 3,000 vaccination sites will be brought online during Phase Two of the programme. Those over 60 years old are able to register and receive a Covid-19 vaccine during Phase Two, which is scheduled to run from 17 May until the end of October.
Pfizer vaccines will be administered at 83 public sector sites and four private sector sites from 17 May, according to Mkhize on Sunday evening during a press briefing. He was joined by the health MECs of all nine provinces.