The second batch of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has arrived.
A South African Airways flight bringing the 80,000 vaccines from Belgium landed at OR Tambo International Airport this morning.
“The consignment will be moved to a secure facility in Gauteng before being distributed to the various vaccine centres in all provinces,” the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) said in a statement.
The single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been shown to be 82 percent effective in preventing severe illness from the coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa.
Earlier this week, transport minister Fikile Mbalula tweeted images of an SA Airways plane and crew preparing to fetch the vaccines in Brussels.
The first batch of vaccines arrived 10 days ago and was administered to health-care workers across the country.
Health-care workers in the public and private sectors were first in line to receive the jab as part of phase one of the mass rollout of the vaccine.
After the vaccination of health-care workers, teachers, miners, police officers, soldiers, SA Social Security Agency employees, department of home affairs and post office employees and people older than 18 with comorbidities and over 60 years will be vaccinated. Prison inmates will also be vaccinated in phase two of the vaccinations.
Everyone aged 18 years and older who has not been vaccinated will get the shot during phase three.
