President Cyril Ramaphosa joined by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize were scheduled to be first in line to receive their vaccination shot of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine in Khayelitsha. Ramaphosa says them first in line is an attempt to demonstrate confidence in the vaccine and to also help allay any fears that people may have.

The vaccine arrived in South Africa on Tuesday evening and has been approved by the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) under the Sisonke protocol. "The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been shown in extensive trials to be safe and efficacious and will protect our health care workers from illness and death from COVID-19," Said Ramaphosa  

Furthermore, he added that they expect most vaccination centres to be ready, to begin with, the vaccination programme from this Wednesday. Despite the issues of AstraZeneca showing little efficacy against the 501Y.V2 variant that is currently dominant in South Africa, Ramaphosa says they are still pleased that they were able to begin vaccination by mid-February, as they had previously announced. 

"We have called on leaders in various sectors and parts of the country to lead by example and get inoculated publicly. We will therefore witness some Premiers, MECs and leaders from civil society, religious formations and traditional leadership being vaccinated in all provinces."Adds Ramaphosa