South Africa to Receive First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine on Monday

South Africa will take delivery of its first COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize stated on Wednesday.

He said, “I am pleased to announce that the flight will leave India on January 31, fly via Dubai and land at OR Tambo on Monday, February 1.”

It is expected to take South Africa’s medicines regulator between 10 to 14 days to clear the vaccine for distribution and usage.

According to a Bloomberg report, as of Wednesday, 57 nations had collectively administered 71.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally.

Presently, Israel is leading in terms of administering and has already administered one shot of a two-dose regimen to more than 30 percent of its population.

However, Nigeria and other African nations are still months away from receiving the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

South Africa has secured upwards of 30-million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, including 1.5-million doses of AstraZeneca’s shot procured from SII earmarked for healthcare workers.

The first 1-million are due to arrive South Africa on February 1, with 500,000 due for delivery later in the month.